Another New Beginning
by 19.live.to.write.96
Summary: Gabriella has been moving around her entire life. She knows better than to get too attatched to her friends at school, because she'll just be leaving soon, but that doesn't stop her from falling for Troy. What will happen if her mom decides to move again?
1. Welcome To East High

**Chapter 1: Welcome To East High**

**Disclaimer: I do not own High School Musical!**

**Gabriella POV:**

Hi. My name is Gabriella Montez. I'm 16 years old. I live with my mom in upstate New York. We just moved here. We're renting a small house, two bedrooms, one bathroom, but it's better than some of the places we lived - and it's a house, an actual house. It's been years since we've lived in a house. We usually stay in apartments.

We've always moved around a lot. My mom is just like that. She's not good at staying in one spot. She says she just hasn't found the right place yet. I really hope that she thinks this is the right place, because I hate moving, and I really, really hate being the new kid in school.

I've always been super shy, so it's hard for me to fit in. I really hate moving in the middle of a school year. I'm a sophomore, and this is my 4th high school, so far. I moved once, at the very end of my freshman year, right before semester exams - worst time to move ever, but fortunately, I still managed to do pretty good. Then we moved again that summer, because the job that my mom had lined up fell through. Then, she decided to move again, because her new job, where we used to live, was only a temporary job.

She promises this is our last move.

But then again, she's said that about our last 3 moves, as well.

I sigh, and take a shower so my hair dries before I have to leave for school. I pull on a pair of light wash skinny jeans, a blue plaid shirt with a chunky black belt around the waist. I head into the kitchen to get some breakfast before I go back to my room and comb through my dark brown naturally wavy hair. I put on a little eyeliner - not much, just enough to bring out my eyes - brown like my hair - out just a little bit. I slide a black headband into my hair, and pull on my favorite black converse, completing the outfit. I take one last look in the mirror before I head into the kitchen and find my mom, hurrying around, trying to be ready in time to take me to school _and _be on time for work.

"Just give me a couple seconds," She called, somehow managing to pull her shoe on and put an earring in at the same time.

"Okay," I said, and sat down at the kitchen table, pulling my latest book out of my backpack - _Along for the Ride_, by Sarah Dessen, one of my favorite authors - and started reading while I waited for her.

A few minutes later, my mom, a little flustered, was finally ready to go. We headed out to our car - nothing fancy, but it looked pretty decent, and got good gas mileage - and my mom drove me to my new school - East High School. I took in a deep breath as we pulled up in front of the big building.

"You okay, sweetheart?" My mom asked, as she pulled the car to a stop. "Do you want me to come in with you?"

"No, I'll be fine. I've done this a million times," I smiled at her. She smiled back. "Have fun at work," I tell her, as I get out of the car.

"You too," She called as I closed the door. Yeah, right, I thought, as I closed the door, smiling confidently at her, before turning to face the school.

Well, this was it. Another brand new start. I sighed, and started inside the building, heading for the main office. It wasn't too hard to find - I could only hope the rest of my classes would be that easy to find.

I got my schedule, and my locker combination, and then went out and waded through the crowd of people. I found my locker, and got it opened on the 2nd try. I put my bag inside, and took out my notebooks and folders, setting them on my shelf, arranging my locker just the way I liked it.

Someone bumped into me and pushed me into the lockers.

"Oh, I'm so sorry," A voice said. I turned to answer, but was caught by a pair of beautiful blue eyes and found that I wasn't able to say a thing. "I'm Troy," He said, offering me his hand. I slid mine into his.

"Gabriella," I replied, softly.

"What?" He said, leaning closer to me, unable to hear me in the crowded hallway.

"I'm Gabriella," I repeated, louder. He smiled at me. He had an amazing smile.

"Are you new, or something?" He asked. "I haven't really seen you around here, before."

"Yeah, I just moved from the City," I replied. Yes, it was true. I, Gabriella Montez, had lived in New York City. It's not really all that bad, as long as you know where the bad places are. It's not the first big city I've lived in. We usually don't live anywhere that's nice and peaceful and quiet. I think that's what I'm going to do after I go to college. I'm going to find a nice home out in the country where it's all peaceful and quiet.

"Oh really?" He said, sounding interested.

"Yeah, but I only lived there for a few months. Before that it was New Jersey, Maryland, Texas," I listed off a couple of the states I've lived in, and rolled my eyes. He smiled and looked like he was about to say something, but then a guy came up. He was black with wild hair.

"Hey, Troy, you coming?" He called, turning and walking backwards, bumping into a few people. Stupid jock, I thought, rolling my eyes (I have a habit of doing that a lot).

"Yeah, just a sec," He called, and then turned back to me. "I got to go," He smiled, almost apologetically. "I'll see you later?" He said, backing away, and then he turned and jogged after the other guy, until a teacher yelled at him to slow down, he wasn't on the basketball court anymore.

"Sorry, Ms. Darbus," He called, but didn't slow down a bit. I sighed, and closed my locker, deciding to try and find some of my classes before school started. My first class - homeroom - was easy to find - I had Ms. Darbus. But before I could find any other of my classes, the bell rang. I sighed, and went to Ms. Darbus' room, stopping to ask her where I sat.

"What's your name?" She asked, looking at me over the top of her glasses.

"Gabriella Montez," I replied. She directed me to my seat in the back of the room. I slid into the desk, hopefully unobtrusively, looking around the room. It slowly filled up. None of the other students seemed to notice me. The bell rang, and Ms. Darbus made us all sit down.

"I'd like to introduce our new student, Ms. Gabriella Montez," She announced to our class. My face reddened, and I stared at the desk. "Ms. Montez, would you stand up, please?" I slowly stood up out of my seat while all the other students stared at me. "If any of you see her throughout the day, please do your best to help her find her classes, etcetera, etcetera," She said, waving her hand. "You may sit," She said, and then continued to talk. I blocked most of it out, staring at my desk some more. Finally, the bell rang.

As I stood up, a cute black girl wearing a yellow long sleeve shirt and a matching yellow and red striped scarf came over.

"I'm Taylor," She smiled, and offered me her hand. I smiled at her and took it. "Do you want some help finding your first class?" She asked.

"Sure," I said, pulling out my schedule. She looked at it over my shoulder.

"Oh, we have the same class!" She exclaimed. "Come on, let's go, we don't want to be late," She said, and hurried out of the room.

**{(~)}-{(~)}-{(~)}**

The rest of the day passed pretty smoothly. I had a couple classes with Taylor, but no classes at all with Troy. I sat with Taylor at lunch, and I asked her about him, when I saw him sitting over with all the jocks and cheerleader type people.

"Troy Bolton?" She asked, looking over at him, seeming surprised that I would ask about him. "Sorry, hunny, but don't waste your time on that boy. He isn't worth it."

I shrugged. "He bumped into me this morning. He seemed pretty nice, that's all," I replied, picking at my food.

"I guess out of all of them," She nodded over towards his group, "I'd have to say Troy's the nicest. He's not really interested in people like us, though, you know what I mean?" I nodded. We were both in accelerate learning classes, some of the smartest people in our grade. "He's a jock, we're, well," She hesitated.

"Nerds?" I filled in for her, and she laughed.

"I didn't know if that term would insult you or not," She said. I shrugged.

"Nah, I know I am, but hey, at least we're cute nerds," I replied, and we both giggled. A couple other people trickled over to our table and we started talking about other things. I couldn't help but glance at Troy every once in awhile though, and I saw him glance at me, too. I blushed and looked at my tray, as everyone else carried on with their conversation.

**{(~)}-{(~)}-{(~)}**

I walked home by myself after school, thinking about my day. I'd met a cute guy who may or may not be interested in me, and I'd made some new friends already. I usually didn't really make friends or get close with them, because I knew that I'd just be leaving soon, and we'd be out of touch anyways. I was seen as a loner a lot, but I really wasn't. I just didn't want my next move to be any harder then it had to be.

That's why I've never had a boyfriend before. That, and I'd never really found a guy who I was interested in enough to want to date, who actually was interested in me too. I'm really shy around guys, so yeah. I never really found a reason to have a boyfriend anyways.

I was starting to think that maybe that would change this year though. Maybe I'd find a guy here at East High. Not that there's really any particular guy, though…

Well, okay, so maybe I sort of like Troy. But I mean, like Taylor said, guys like him just aren't interested in girls like me. So I tried to ignore it.

The next couple days passed, and I didn't talk to Troy again. I saw him looking at me a few times at lunch, but I also saw him with this one girl - blonde, preppy, cheerleader like, exact opposite of me. She was all over him, following him around like a little puppy dog, but it almost seemed like he wasn't all that interested in her. On Friday I asked Taylor about her, because no one else was at our lunch table yet.

"You're still thinking about him?" She said, raising her eyebrows. I blushed and looked at my tray. "That's Sharpay," She said, answering my question. "Her and Troy had a thing last year, but he broke it off, and she's still trying to get him back. It's almost sad really, the way she follows him around like a little puppy," She said, mimicking my exact thoughts.

"Yeah," I agreed, softly.

"Do you like him?" She asked me, curiously. "I mean, you don't have to tell me, but, just wondering, you know," She said. I shrugged, blushing a deep red, and giving myself away. "Well, why don't you talk to him sometime, then?" She asked.

"Like you said," I looked over at him, "He's not interested in girls like me. He likes girls like Sharpay," I said. "And I'm far from that."

"Trust me, girl, that ain't a bad thing," She retorted. "The only person who even likes her is her brother, and that's probably just because he has to. She's a spoiled little brat," Taylor said, almost venomously. It was surprising, coming from her; she was always so sweet.

"Yeah, I guess," I said softly.

"Look, just forget about him, alright? Some of us are going down to the movies tomorrow afternoon, why don't you come with?" She asked.

"Alright, that sounds good," I said, after a brief moment's hesitation, and we started making plans.

**{(~)}-{(~)}-{(~)}**

I was just leaving the school to walk home when I heard someone call my name. I turned to see none other than Troy Bolton jogging towards me.

"Hey," He smiled.

"Hi," I replied, unable to think of anything more intelligent to say.

"How are you liking East High so far?" He asked.

"It's pretty good," I said.

"You on your way home?" He asked. I nodded. "Do you mind if I walk with you? I've got some time to kill before the game tonight," He said.

"Sure," I said, smiling nervously. We turned and started walking.

"So are you going to come to the game tonight?" He asked me.

"I don't know, probably not," I said, glancing at him out of the corner of my eye.

"You should," He said. "You can watch us kick some serious butt," He joked. "We're undefeated this year, you know?" He said, almost as if he was trying to impress me.

"So I've heard," I laughed. "I also heard that you've almost made it to state for the past 3 years, but West's beat you every time," I said, wanting to know how he'd react.

"Well, not this year. This year they're going down," He said, sounding pretty sure of himself.

"You think so?" I asked.

"I hope so," He said, not sounding so sure anymore.

"Yeah, me too," I said, smiling at him. He smiled back. His smile gave me butterflies. I blushed and looked away.

"It would sure look good for college," He said. "I'm hoping to get a basketball scholarship," He told me.

"Think you can do it?" I asked. He shrugged.

"Hope so," He said again.

"Well, umm, this is my house," I said, looking up at him, standing in front of the house. He looked at the house and then back at me.

"Yeah, so I'll see you later?" He said.

"Yeah, if not tonight, then Monday," I said.

"Bye," He said, and we both turned, me going into the house, and him walking down the street, back towards the school. I went inside and did the dishes in case I decided to go to the game tonight after all.

By the time my mom got home from work, I was still undecided about whether or not I wanted to go to the game.

"Gabbi, you won't mind staying home alone tonight, would you? I'm going out with some friends for supper," She told me.

"No, it's fine, I was going to go the game, anyways," I said. Since she wasn't going to be here, I might as well go.

"Oh, alright, well have fun," She said. I smiled and told her the same before heading to my room to fix my hair and makeup.

As I put some lip gloss on, I wondered why I was bothering. Troy didn't think of me as anything more than a friend - if even that - and he never would. I sighed, and put the lip gloss down. What was the point? My mom was already leaving, I heard her call out goodbye as a car pulled into our driveway. A very nice, expensive looking car. She would never know if I didn't go.

I changed out of my jeans and into a pair of jogging pants, flopped down on my bed, and started to read. I never did like basketball games, anyways.

**{(~)}-{(~)}-{(~)}**

The next morning I woke up when my phone went off. I grabbed it and looked at it. It was a text. I hit open.

_From: Unknown_

_hey, i missed u at the game last night._

_To: Unknown_

_who is this?_

_From: Unknown_

_oh, sorry, it's troy. taylor gave me ur number._

_To: Unknown_

_oh, okay._

I programmed his number into my phone, smiling. He'd asked Taylor for my number. I didn't know they ever even talked. I quickly texted her.

_To: Taylor_

_hey, when did you give troy my number?_

_From: Taylor_

_last night after the game. i didn't think u would mind, sorry._

_To: Taylor_

_no, its fine, i just didn't kno u 2 talked_

_From: Taylor_

_we don't. it was really weird, lol. _

_To: Taylor_

_oic, so r we still on for tonight?_

_From: Taylor_

_u bet :)_

_From: Troy_

_well u missed it, it was a great game. i told you we were gonna kick their butts :)_

_To: Troy_

_lol, well congrats_

_From: Troy_

_haha, thanks. so i was wondering… do you wanna hang out or something today?_

_To: Troy_

_well, me and taylor were gonna do something later, but maybe tomorrow?_

I quickly texted back. I was so excited. He was actually asking me to hang out!

_From: Troy_

_okay, sounds good. ill pick you up around 10, will that work?_

_To: Troy _

_sounds great :) see u then_

I got out of bed and literally jumped up and down with joy. I danced out of my room and out into the kitchen. My mom sat at the table on our laptop, drinking her morning coffee, still looking half asleep. She never had been a morning person.

"Well, someone's happy today," My mom smiled. "Any particular reason?"

"Not really," I said, "Just excited. Me and Taylor are going to a movie later today, okay?" I said, opening the fridge and pouring myself a glass of orange juice. "And tomorrow I'm going to hang out with some friends," I said, and hoped she didn't ask who, or what we were going to do.

"Alright, sweetheart. Just be careful," She told me.

"Don't worry," I said, and gave her a hug. "I always am." I danced back to my room to decide what I was going to wear today - and then tomorrow.

**{(~)}-{(~)}-{(~)}**

The movie was okay, but I've definitely seen better. We had a great time though, and I told Taylor about hanging out with Troy, which she got super psyched about. She was almost more excited then me! Almost. Not quite… I don't think it was possible to be more excited then I was. I could barely sleep that night, I was so excited. I finally did fall asleep though, and I didn't wake up until almost 8:30. I jumped in the shower, and then hurriedly ate my breakfast. I blow dried my hair and took twice as long on my make up as I usually did. I tried to find something new to do with my hair, but ended up just leaving it down the way I usually did, and put on a little eye shadow to make my eyes stand out, instead.

I was wearing a short sleeved pink plaid shirt with a dark grey vest over top of it, a pair of light wash jeans, and, as usual, my black converse. After a quick look in the mirror, I added some dangly silver earrings.

"Gabbi!" My mom called from the kitchen. "Your ride's here!" I hurried out.

"Thanks, Mom," I said, kissing her cheek before heading towards the door. "Have a good day," I called, as I walked outside, closing the door before she could respond. Troy's truck looked old, but not trashy. I opened the door and stepped shyly inside. He smiled at me.

"You look nice," He told me, as I closed the door and put my seatbelt on.

"Thanks," I smiled shyly, blushing. He smiled at me, before putting the truck in reverse and pulling out.

"I wasn't really sure what you wanted to do, but I thought maybe we could like, go bowling or something? Unless you don't want to," He sounded hesitant. It surprised me, coming from him. He always seemed so confident and sure of himself at school. But then again, I've never really talked to him at school, so I guess I wouldn't really know.

"No, that sounds great," I replied, honestly. "I have to warn you though, I haven't been bowling in forever, so I'm probably going to do horrible," I laughed.

"Don't worry," He said, smiling. "I go bowling all the time, and I _still _suck." I laughed again.

"Doesn't surprise me," I teased.

"Oh, come on, what's that supposed to mean?"

I just shrugged and smiled, not giving him an answer. He laughed at me. I liked his laugh. But then again, there wasn't much I don't like about him. I like his smile, his laugh, how he's always so nice to everyone, and his eyes, they are absolutely gorgeous…

The rest of the ride to the bowling alley passed quickly. We got there, and he paid for both of us. We talked, and teased each other as we put our shoes on and picked our balls.

To my surprise, I got a strike on my very first try.

"I thought you were bad!" Troy laughed at me.

"Trust me, I'm amazed too," I said, as he went up to go. He got a gutter ball. I couldn't help but laugh at him.

"Oh, ha ha, really funny," He said, but he smiled. With his next roll he knocked down 8 pins.

We teased each other the entire time we played, and in the end, he beat me. I had a score of 82, and his was 106. After we finished, we went over to the arcade and played for a while. Then we went to one of those claw machines.

"Aw, look at it, it's so cute," I said, pointing through the glass at one of the teddy bears. Troy put a dollar in the machine. I laughed. "You're never going to get it," I told him, as the claw missed it.

"You want to bet?" He said, putting another dollar in. I laughed. He must've put at least $20 into that thing, but he did finally get the teddy bear.

"And you thought I couldn't get it," He smirked at me, pulling the teddy bear out of the machine.

"It only took you, how many tries?" I teased, smiling as he handed me the teddy bear.

"That's not important. The important thing is that I got it," He said. I laughed.

"And it only cost you about 3 times as much as it would've if you would've just gone to a store and gotten one."

"Are you saying you don't appreciate my efforts?" He accused, pretending to be mad.

"Of course not," I laughed.

"That's what I thought," He smiled smugly.

"I'm just saying there was no point to it," I smiled as the grin disappeared from his face.

"Well, in that case, maybe I'll just take that back," He teased.

"A real gentleman would never do such a thing," I said, with unnecessary drama.

"Are you saying I'm not a gentleman?" He said, faking astonishment.

"Oh, of course not," I said, gasping. He looked at me, and we both burst out laughing.

"Come on," He said. "Let's go get something to eat." We walked out to his car and he drove over to a little café/bookstore. I smiled as we walked inside. This was definitely my kind of place. We walked over to counter, and a woman with dark hair and a pretty smile came out.

"Hey, ma," Troy said, "Can you get us some cheeseburgers - is that okay?" I nodded. "And a pepsi and," He paused, looking at me.

"Water's fine," I said, quietly. I studied the woman, trying to see if anything about her reminded me from Troy. She was extremely pretty, and I noticed that her eyes were the same blue as Troy's.

"Water," He said.

"Alright," She said, disappearing into the back. Since it was lunchtime, there was a whole crowd of people. Troy led me over to a secluded booth in the back corner, where we sat and talked while we waited for our food. He asked me about some of the places I've lived in the past. I tell him about it, funny stories and stuff, but I don't talk about any of the personal stuff. He doesn't try to dig too deep either, he's happy with what I tell him.

After we finish eating, we sit and talk for awhile.

"My mom will probably be mad if I leave before introducing you," He told me. "As soon as the crowd clears out she'll probably come over," He told me.

"Okay," I said.

"Don't worry," He smiled at the worried expression on my face. "It'll be fine. It's not my mom you have to worry about," He frowned, a clouded expression covering his face. I was about to ask what he meant, but he quickly changed the subject before I could. In no time at all, we were laughing again. It was so easy being with him. I liked it a lot. I realized I liked _him _a lot too. Like a lot, a lot.

He was right, once there weren't so many people, his mom made her way over to use, and he introduced us. She talked for awhile, and she seemed really nice.

"Well, I have to get back to work," She said, after a few minutes. "It was nice meeting you, Gabriella. Hopefully I'll see you around," She said, and went back over to the kitchen.

"You ready to go?" He asked me.

"Yeah, I guess," I said, even though I wasn't anywhere near ready for this day to end. I knew it had to though, at some point.

We went out to his truck and he drove me home. He walked me up to my front door. I was holding my teddy bear.

"I had a really fun time today," I told him, suddenly shy.

"Yeah, me too," He said. "We should do this again, sometime."

"Yeah," I agreed. "We should." He looked almost as nervous as I felt. He took a step closer, and I wondered for a brief moment if he was going to kiss me. And then, before I realized what was happening, he did. It was a sweet kiss, his lips pressing lightly against mine for just a few brief seconds. I stared up at him, biting my lip after he pulled away. He smiled. I smiled back.

"I'll see you around," He said, softly.

"Yeah," I said, and he turned and got in his truck as I went inside. I watched as he pulled out of the driveway and drove away.

**A/N: Hey everyone.**

**Thanks for reading. I hope you liked it. Please review and tell me what you thought, so I know if I should keep writing or not!**

**Thanks,**

**xoxox**


	2. Wait and See

_Previously:_

"_I had a really fun time today," I told him, suddenly shy._

"_Yeah, me too," He said. "We should do this again, sometime."_

"_Yeah," I agreed. "We should." He looked almost as nervous as I felt. He took a step closer, and I wondered for a brief moment if he was going to kiss me. And then, before I realized what was happening, he did. It was a sweet kiss, his lips pressing lightly against mine for just a few brief seconds. I stared up at him, biting my lip after he pulled away. He smiled. I smiled back._

"_I'll see you around," He said, softly._

"_Yeah," I said, and he turned and got in his truck as I went inside. I watched as he pulled out of the driveway and drove away._

**Chapter 2: Wait and See**

**Gabriella POV:**

On Monday, I got to school early, and took my book and went and sat on the fountain outside the school to read. It was always my custom to find a place to read before school, and it was usually the library, but I was glad to finally be at a school were I could read outside. I heard people around me, but I was too lost in my book to know anything that was going on.

"Hey, you," Someone sat next to me and bumped my arm. I looked up and smiled to see Troy.

"Hey," I said, blushing and looking down, letting my hair fall in front of my face.

"What are you reading?" He asked, pushing my hair off my face and behind my ear. I looked at him through my eyelashes.

"A book," I reply, with a smile.

"I can see that," He said, smiling too. I wondered if I would ever get used to that smile. "What's it about?"

"These people," I shrugged. I'm not good at explaining things.

"Okay," Troy said, realizing he wasn't going to get a good answer out of me, so he changed the topic. "So in a couple weeks we have our winter formal?" He said. I nodded. "I was wondering if you wanted to go with me," He said, again, sounding nervous. I smiled at him.

"That sounds great," I said. He smiled.

"Good," He said. Then Chad, the black guy who had talked to him the first day, came over.

"Hey man," Chad said and they bumped fists. I instantly felt awkward. "Who's this?" He asked nodding towards me, looking a little confused.

"This is Gabriella," He smiled at me. "And Gabbi, this is Chad," He nodded at Chad. Hearing him use my nickname surprised me. Very few of my friends - in fact, none that I could think of - ever called me Gabbi.

"Hey," He nodded at me. I smiled and didn't say anything. "Does she, you know, talk?" Chad asked. I blushed bright red.

"She's just shy," Troy laughed at me.

"Alright, well, we're still on for tonight, right?" Chad asked.

"Yeah, definitely," Troy said.

"Alright, well, I'll leave you two _alone_," Chad said. Troy laughed and my face, if possible, turned even more red.

"Later," Troy said, and they bumped fists again. As he left, I saw Sharpay glaring at me and Troy from by the doors to the school. I ignored her, and looked back at Troy. "You're blushing," He teased me. My face turned even _more _red when he said this - jeez, I really hate that! - and I looked down.

"Shut up," I mumbled, looking up at him through my eyelashes again.

"It's cute," He told me, pushing my hair back again, his fingers brushing my cheek. I rolled my eyes. "No, I'm serious!" He protested, as the bell rang.

"Whatever," I laughed, and stood up. "I'll talk to you later?" I said.

"Yeah," He agreed. "Talk to you later."

I turned and headed inside. I pretended like I didn't see Sharpay glaring at me the entire time. _Oh boy_, I thought. _I did not need an enemy here, already. _It seemed as though it was already too late however, because for the rest of the day, every time I saw her, Sharpay glared at me. Taylor noticed, too.

"What's _her _problem?" She said, as we walked to lunch, with an attitude I've come to like. She was a really sweet girl - unless you got on her bad side.

"She saw me with Troy this morning," I mumbled, in reply.

"Troy?" Taylor said, suddenly intrigued. "Why were you with him?" She asked, as we got in the line.

"I'll tell you later," I said, glancing at all the people around us. She immediately understood why.

"Okay," She said. We went and sat at our usual table, and instantly she started questioning me about why I was talking to Troy, what happened yesterday, were we dating now? I laughed.

"Slow down," I laughed, opening my milk.

"Sorry," She said. "Tell me everything!" She squealed, quietly. I giggled.

"Okay, well yesterday was amazing," I said. I quickly briefed her on all that happened.

"Ohmigod! Why didn't you tell me?" She accused, but she didn't sound mad.

"I don't know," I shrugged. "I just kind of wanted to keep it to myself yesterday, you know," I laughed. "I can't believe this!"

"I know! Me neither! So what did he want this morning?" She asked.

"He asked me to the winter formal," I told her, smiling.

"Really? Aw! Did you say yes?"

"Well duh!" We giggled.

"We should go shopping sometime soon for your dress! Are you doing anything this weekend? We could go down to the mall," She suggested.

"Alright, that sounds good," I smiled. "Are you going to go?" I asked her. She shrugged.

"I don't know, yet," She replied, sounding a little sad.

"Please?" I said. "It'll be fun, I promise."

She gave in with a smile. "Okay," She said, and we began making plans.

**{(~)}-{(~)}-{(~)}**

The week passed quickly. Every day before school, I would come early and sit at the fountain reading, and Troy would come over and talk. Sharpay still glared at us, especially me. I basically ignored her, and I don't even know if Troy noticed it. Finally, Saturday, the day that me and Taylor were going shopping, came.

I got dressed quickly, and pulled the sides of my hair up into a pony tail, putting on a little eyeliner and some lip gloss before going into the kitchen.

"Hey, Mom, me and Taylor are going to the mall to go shopping for dresses for the dance next weekend," I told her, giving her a hug and grabbing my jacket.

"Do you need some extra money?" She asked.

"I still have some from Christmas," I told her.

"Here," She said, handing me a $50. "Just in case you need it," She smiled.

"Thanks, Mom," I said, even though I knew I wasn't going to use it - we were always tight on money and even though I knew we could get by without it, I also knew it would be a lot easier if I didn't spend it. I headed out the door and walked down to Taylor's house. She only lived a couple blocks away. She came out of her door and we decided just to walk down to the mall, because she was only 15, and I haven't gotten my license yet. With the move, I just haven't had the chance.

We spent most of the morning shopping, and Taylor picked out a red halter dress that was knee length and looked really good on her. Finally, I decided on an aqua blue strapless dress that was ruffled on the top across my chest, and then poofed out, and was knee length as well. Then we had to pick out shoes. I found some strappy silver heels to wear, and Taylor got a pair of black flats.

After we finished shopping, we stopped and got some smoothies that we ate as we walked back home. We were about halfway to Taylor's when my phone started vibrating. I pulled it out, assuming it was my mom, because she usually the only person who ever called me. I looked at my phone.

_INCOMING CALL: TROY_

I smiled, and hit talk.

"Hello," I smiled into the phone.

"Hey, umm, Gabbi?" He said.

"Yeah?" I smiled.

"Hey, uh, I was just wondering if you wanted to come over to my place for supper tonight. My mom really likes you, and wants to get to know you a little more," He explained.

"Yeah, that sounds good," I said. "I'll have to ask my mom, but yeah, I think that'll work out good."

"Alright, well, I'll come by and pick you up around 6, if that works?"

"Okay, sounds good," I said.

"Alright, I'll see you then, I guess," He said.

"Yeah, see you then," I replied.

"Bye," He said.

"Bye," I said softly, and waited for him to hang up. It took him a few moments, but then he did. I smiled and slid my phone into my pocket.

"Was that who I think it was?" Taylor asked.

"I don't know, who do you think it was?" I said, my face reddening, knowing very well who she was talking about - and she was right.

"It was Troy, wasn't it?"

"Maybe," I said, my face getting even redder.

"What did he want?" She exclaimed, excitedly.

"I'm going over to his house for supper," I said.

"Really?" She said. "Ohmigod, what are you going to wear?" She asked.

"Umm," I said, realizing I had no idea what I should wear. "I have absolutely no idea."

"Well, I don't know, wear like a nice shirt and jeans or something?" She suggested, as we neared her house. "Sorry, I have to baby sit my brother as soon as I get back, but text me if you need anything," She said, waving goodbye as she headed up to her house. I continued on my way home, debating what I was going to wear. I walked in and found a note from my mom on the table.

_Gabriella,_

_I'm out with friends. I won't be home until late. There's some stuff for sandwiches in the fridge for supper if you get hungry. _

_Love,_

_Mom_

I sighed. I wondered if this 'friend' was the same guy with the expensive car who'd come to pick her up last night and last Friday. I'd noticed the way she's been acting differently, happier almost, for the past week. I wasn't dumb. Why couldn't she just tell me that she had a boyfriend?

Then I realized that I hadn't exactly told her about Troy yet - but he wasn't my boyfriend! Not technically. I wonder if I can think of any other time that my mom's had a boyfriend. I can't.

I glance at the clock. It's not time to get ready yet, so I go and flop down on my bed and read my book. Before I know it, I glance at my clock and a few hours have gone by. I jump out of bed and hurry over to my closest for something to wear. I finally decide on a light blue long sleeved tee shirt with a belt over top and a pair of dark jeans. I put on a dangly necklace with a heart-shaped lock and a key. I carefully reapplied my make up and did my hair. I was just finishing as Troy pulled in the driveway with his old beat up truck. I quickly pulled my converse on and grabbed my purse as I headed out the door.

He smiled at me as I got in his truck. I smiled back, automatically.

"Hey," I said.

"Hey," He replied as he put the truck in gear and pulled out of my driveway. I chewed on my lip as he drove. He reached over and took my hand. I looked at him, and he smiled, and then I smiled. He squeezed my hand.

"Nervous?" He asked.

"No," I lied, looking at my lap, my face turning red.

"Yes," He teased. "Don't worry about it. My mom already likes you, and my dad, well," He paused. "Just don't worry about him," He finished. I looked at him, a little confused by that. He smiled at me again, pushing the rest of my worries out of my head. We drove for about 15 minutes before we pulled into his driveway. I stared up at the huge house, more than a little surprised. He glanced at me, seeing my expression.

"You know that café?" He said. I nodded. "Well, my parents own it… and about 50 others across the country," He explained.

"You're rich," I stated, simply.

"Well, I wouldn't necessarily say rich, but," He paused, "We're pretty well off."

I looked at him. "You're rich," I said again. He laughed.

"Alright, you can say that," He said, getting out of the truck.

"Why didn't you tell me?" I asked, as I got out of the truck. He took my hand again as we walked up to the house. He shrugged.

"It didn't really seem all that important to me."

"Well, I mean, you could've at least warned me, so I didn't come looking like -" I stopped talking as the door opened and I saw his mom. I smiled at her.

"Hello, Gabriella," She said. "It's so good to see again." Troy led me into the dining room.

"Thank you, you too," I smiled at her. "It smells delicious," I told her honestly.

"Thanks," She smiled. "It'll be ready in about 10 minutes," She said, heading into the kitchen. Troy and I went into the living room then.

"Hey, dad," He said. The man reading the newspaper in the chair in the corner looked up. He saw me and smiled, standing up, setting his newspaper down.

"You must be Gabriella," He smiled. "I'm Jack, Troy's dad," He said, shaking my hand.

"It's nice to meet you, Mr. Bolton," I said, politely. Troy and I sat down on the couch. He rubbed his thumb over my hand in soothing circles, as we sat there in awkward silence as his dad went back to reading his newspaper. Finally, after what seemed like forever, his mom came in and announced that it was time to eat.

Supper was nice, and it tasted even better than it smelled. Mr. Bolton barely said a thing, but Troy's mom was really talkative and extremely nice, and it wasn't near as bad as I expected it to be.

After we ate, Troy told his mom we were going outside. In the backyard was a half-sized basketball court. He grabbed a ball and I watched as he made it from the 3 point line. He smirked at me.

"Oh, you just think you're so cool," I said, walking over to him, and pushing his shoulder playfully.

"No, I know I am," He joked, wrapping his arms around me. I looked up at him, unable to think of a comeback.

"Whatever," I finally whispered, and laid my head on his shoulder.

"I bet you couldn't do that," He smiled down at me.

"Oh really?" I said, pulling away and grabbing the ball. I stood at the 3-point line, and threw the ball. It went in with a swish.

"Lucky shot," He said, grabbing the ball and tossing it to me again. This time he blocked me.

"No fair," I laughed, trying to get past him.

"Hey, you're traveling," He said, as I pushed past him. I laughed and threw the ball, missing by a lot. I laughed.

"Wow," He said, catching the ball. "That was," He paused. "Wow."

"Shut up," I laughed. "I could easily beat you," I said, knowing it wasn't true.

"Oh, bring it on," He laughed.

And so we played a one-on-one game. He beat me, miserably, but I didn't care. It was fun. We were both laughing so hard by the time we finally went back inside because it was getting too dark.

"I should probably get home soon," I said, when we finally stopped laughing.

"Yeah, we should go. Hey, ma," He called into the other room. "I'm taking Gabbi home. I might stop at Chad's afterwards, so don't wait up for me," He added.

"Okay," She called back. "Drive safe."

We went outside and got in the truck. The ride home was silent.

"I'll see you at school, I guess," Troy said, as he put the truck in park in my driveway.

"Yeah," I agreed. "Goodnight," I smiled at him.

"Goodnight," He repeated, and I got out of the truck, searching through my purse for my keys as I walked up to the door. Just as he pulled out, another car pulled in. My mom got out of the car, laughing, and called out a goodbye to the driveway. She came over and I opened the door, flipping the light on.

"Who was that?" She asked as she followed me inside, closing the door behind her.

"A friend from school," I replied.

"What's her name?" She asked.

"His name's Troy," I said, hesitantly.

"You were with a boy?" She said, slightly disapprovingly.

"I was at his house for supper. His parents were there. It's not a big deal. Besides, _mom_, who were you with?" I knew right away I'd guessed right by the guilty look on her face. "That's what I thought," I said, and stomped into my room.

I usually didn't talk to my mom like that, but it was kind of annoying. I mean, I'm 16! I'm not a baby anymore. I think I'm plenty old enough to have a boyfriend.

Not that Troy's my boyfriend… is he? I flopped down on my bed and sighed. I wasn't really sure what we were or what I meant to him, and you don't exactly ask someone that, especially if you _want _to go out with them. I guess I was just going to have to wait and see. I just hope I don't have to wait too long.

**A/N: Hey, everyone!**

**Thanks for reading my story and special thanks to the 2 people who reviewed, pumpkinking5 and hypersigner, you guys rock! :)**

**I don't think this chapter's really that good, I didn't really know what to write for it, but the next one will be better (I hope)! **

**Again, thanks for reading, and please review!**

**xoxox**

**..96**


	3. The Dance

_Previously:_

"_I was at his house for supper. His parents were there. It's not a big deal. Besides, mom, who were you with?" I knew right away I'd guessed right by the guilty look on her face. "That's what I thought," I said, and stomped into my room. _

_I usually didn't talk to my mom like that, but it was kind of annoying. I mean, I'm 16! I'm not a baby anymore. I think I'm plenty old enough to have a boyfriend. _

_Not that Troy's my boyfriend… is he? I flopped down on my bed and sighed. I wasn't really sure what we were or what I meant to him, and you don't exactly ask someone that, especially if you _want _to go out with them. I guess I was just going to have to wait and see. I just hope I don't have to wait too long. _

**Chapter 3: The Dance**

**Gabriella POV:**

Monday, to my surprise, just as I was about to leave to walk to school, Troy pulled in my driveway. I walked over to his truck, on the driver's side. He rolled down his window.

"What are you doing here?" I asked.

"Good to see you, too," He laughed. "I thought I'd give you a ride to school. I mean, unless you don't want to," He added, hesitantly. I smiled.

"That would be great, thanks," I said, walking around the truck and getting in. He reached over and took my hand, after pulling out onto the road.

"How was your weekend?" He asked, and we started talking. When we got to school, we went and sat at the fountain at our usual spot. He was still holding my hand. I smiled at that. It kind of made it official.

Troy Bolton was my very first boyfriend.

When the bell rang, he walked me to my locker, and he smiled at me every time we passed in the halls, and every time it made me blush. I wondered if his smile would ever _not _make me blush.

At lunch, me and Taylor sat down.

"Okay, so tell me it's true! Are you and Troy really officially dating, now?" She said, excitedly. I just smiled, I didn't even have to answer, and she practically jumped up and down with excitement (if we hadn't been sitting, I'm pretty sure she would've been jumping up and down). "Ohmigod," She said, and I looked to see what she was staring at.

Troy was walking over to our table, with his tray.

"Hey," He smiled, sitting down next to me.

"Hey," I said, smiling back. I was staring into those gorgeous eyes, and I didn't notice how everyone at Troy's table were staring at him, shocked.

Next to me, Taylor cleared her throat, and I looked away from Troy, playing with my food again.

"Hey, Taylor," He nodded at her casually.

"Troy," She replied, curtly. I bit back a laugh.

The first couple minutes were a little awkward, but then Taylor said something that made us all laugh and we kind of relaxed.

The rest of the week went similarly. Troy picked me up for school, and then we sat at the fountain talking. He sat with us at lunch too, and then on Wednesday, Chad came over and sat with us too, and he sat with us for the rest of the week, as well.

I still saw Sharpay glaring daggers at me every day. If looks could kill, I'd be dead a million times over by now. She hasn't confronted me about it yet, which kind of surprised me. I don't want her to - I really, really hope she doesn't - but she just seems like the kind of girl who would.

The week passed really quickly, and before I knew it, it was Saturday, the day of the dance. Around 1, Taylor came over. We decided to get ready for the dance together, and at my house, because she has 2 little brothers and 1 sister who would all get in the way. They all annoy her, but I kind of wish sometimes that I had younger siblings. Taylor, I'm sure, is more than willing to share hers, though. She has to baby sit a lot, and she gets annoyed because she misses out on things a lot that she could've done if it weren't for them. Despite how much she complains about them, though, I know she loves them all.

We watched a movie before we started to get ready, because the dance didn't start until 8, so we had plenty of time. Then we got dressed, and did each other's hair and make up. It was a lot of fun.

"You know," I told her. "I've never actually been to a school dance, before."

"Really?" She said surprised. "Why not?"

"I moved around so much," I shrugged. "I never really got to know any of my friends good enough to want to go."

"Wow, girl. No offense, but your life sounds kind of -"

"Lame?" I suggested.

"I was gonna say boring, but yeah, lame works, too," She said. I laughed.

"Well thanks," I said, sarcastically.

"I said no offense," She retorted. Even though she had an attitude when she said it, I knew that she wasn't mad or anything.

"Yeah, I know it is," I laughed again, but then I shrugged. "I don't know, I guess I just figured it wasn't worth it."

"Well, yeah, didn't you move like, all the time? I kind of get where you're coming from."

"Yeah, I know, it really sucked, 'cause I mean like, I'm the shyest girl ever. You'd think after starting new schools usually at least once a year, if not more, would make me a little less shy, but nope, didn't happen," I laughed again.

"Wow, I kind of feel bad for you! I've lived here my entire life, I would never want to move so much."

I shrugged. "I kind of like it, though, I mean, I've gotten to seen so many cool places, and stuff. Plus, me and my mom are a lot closer then most kids our age because of it." I don't mention that we haven't really been talking since last weekend when I yelled at her about her boyfriend.

"Yeah, there's plus sides to it, too," Taylor agreed.

Finally, it was time to go. Troy showed up, right on time, with his dad's black Mercedes (we decided to ditch the truck, just for tonight). We were giving Taylor and Chad both a ride, because, well, Taylor needed a ride, and Chad came because she didn't want to feel like a third wheel. I thought that was kind of sweet of him. Both boys came up to the door, and Troy rang the doorbell. I opened the door, and smiled shyly.

"Wow," was all he said. "You look… wow." I giggled, nervously.

"I'm guessing that's good?" I said, a little unsure.

"Yeah," He smiled. "Definitely good."

"Oh, my god," Taylor said. "Really?" She pushed past me, and headed down the driveway. I laughed. This mushy gushy stuff (as she called it) annoyed her, constantly. Me and Troy weren't that bad about it, though, even she said so.

"Sorry," I giggled again, talking to Taylor but still looking at Troy.

He was wearing dress pants and a blue shirt almost the exact same shade as my dress and a tie. I reached out and took the tie.

"Sweet," I said. It was black with a bunch of different outlines of squares in different shades of blue on it. I don't know how to explain it, but it made this new, dressed-up Troy standing in front of me seem more like the same Troy who drove an old beat up pick up truck and wore jeans and tee shirts.

"Gabbi, hon, is your ride here?" My mom called, walking out to the door. "Oh, hello," She said, seeing Troy at the door.

"Uh, Mom, this is Troy," I said. "Troy, this is my mom," I said.

"Nice to meet you, Mrs. Montez," Troy said, shaking her hand. I knew instantly that my mom was impressed by him.

"Do you mind if I take some pictures before you leave?" My mom asked.

"Mom -" I started to protest.

"Sure," Troy interrupted me. I glared at him, but he just smiled that dazzling smile at me, knowing I wouldn't be able to stay mad for long.

"Let me go get my camera," She said, turning and leaving.

"Troy, we're gonna be here forever," I complained as soon as she was out of ear shot.

"Don't worry about it, we've got plenty of time," He told me.

"Troy," I complained.

"Besides, my mom wanted pictures anyways. Maybe this way we can get out of it when you come over afterwards."

I glared up at him. "You told your mom I would come over?"

"She wanted to see you again," He told. "Come on, don't be mad." I sighed.

"I'm not mad," I told him, and he took my hands.

"Okay," He smiled, and then started to pull me into a hug, but just then my mom came back with the camera.

"Now, this won't take long, I promise," She said. "Why don't you just go stand out there, by the trees," She suggested. Taylor stood by the car, and smirked.

"Hey, we have to get some pictures with Taylor, too," I said. She glared at me. "Come on," I said, dragging her over. "Chad, you too," I said.

"No, I'm good."

"Chad, get over here right now, that wasn't a choice," Taylor snapped at him. I bit back a laugh.

"Chad, go," My mom said. He sighed and came over.

"Alright, you too girls go on the inside there, and the boys on the outside," My mom ordered. We all just kind of stood there, close too each other.

"Can we get some with just me and Taylor?" I asked. The boys stood off to the side, and me and Taylor put our arms around each other and smiled, taking a couple nice pictures, and then we goofed off a little bit, making faces and posing weird, and ending up laughing our butts off.

"Okay, okay, come on, Troy, come here, so we can leave," I said, and Troy took Taylor's place. He smiled at me, putting his arm around my waist. I looked up at him smiling, for a few moments, before I turned my gaze to the camera in my mom's hand.

"There you go, perfect, now, smile," She said, and took the picture.

"Are we done now?" I asked.

"One more," My mom said. I groaned.

"It's not that bad," Troy told me. I glared at him.

"Gabbi, look at me," My mom called out. I groaned again, and looked at her, smiling, as she snapped the picture.

"Okay, that's enough now," I said, walking towards the car. Troy laughed at me.

"Alright, well, you kids have a good time!" My mom called after us. I could feel my face begin to heat up. I slid into the passenger seat, since I saw Chad was getting in the back.

"Thanks, Mrs. Montez. Nice meeting you," He got in the car and closed the door. He looked back, making sure that everyone was in the car, before pulling out.

"Sorry about that," I said. "My mom can be kind of…" I trailed off, and didn't finish my sentence.

"Whatever, Gabbi," Taylor said. "You're mom is awesome." I rolled my eyes at that.

"She's embarrassing," I argued. Troy just smiled and shook his head, reaching over and taking my hand.

"I gotta admit it, you guys are cute together," Chad said. My face heated up, and I turned to look out the window.

"Aren't they?" Taylor agreed.

"Shut up, you guys," I muttered. Chad laughed.

"I don't even have to see your face right now to know it's bright red," He teased.

"Shut up!" I said again, trying not to laugh. "Oh, thank god," I muttered as we pulled into the school driveway. I looked over at Troy and saw him trying - and failing - not to laugh at me. I shook my head.

"You guys are all cruel," I said. "Cruel, I tell you. I don't know why I talk to any of you."

"You love us," Taylor said, stepping out of the car.

"That's what you think," I muttered. Troy laughed.

"Wait there," He told me, coming around to my side of the car and opening the door for me. I smiled. He could be so sweet.

"You're majesty," Troy said, with a very fake (and very bad) British accent, bowing, and then taking my hand as I go out of the car. I laughed and punched him playfully on the shoulder.

"You're such an idiot," I told him.

"Ouch," He said, clutching his chest. "That hurts, you know." I laughed and rolled my eyes at him, starting to walk towards the school. "Hey," He said, grabbing my waist, and pulling me back.

"Let me go," I laughed.

"Did you just roll you're eyes at me, Miss Gabriella Montez?" He accused.

"Why yes, Mr. Troy Bolton, I did," I replied. "Get over it," I poked his chest.

"The insults just keep coming," He sighed. "I don't know how much more of this I can take." We both laughed, and he took my hand as we walked towards the school. Taylor and Chad were already inside.

He paid for both of us when we went in and then pulled me into the gym, right as a slow song came on.

"Come on," He smiled at me.

"No," I protested, but I let him lead me onto the floor. He put his arms around my waist and pulled me close to him; I slid my arms around his neck and as the music played, we danced.

"_Ten miles from town and I just broke down_

_Spittin' out smoke on the side of the road_

_I'm out here alone just tryin' to get home_

_To tell you I was wrong but you already know_

_Believe me I won't stop at nothin'_

_To see you so I've started runnin' _

_All that I'm after is a life full of laughter _

_As long as I'm laughing with you_

_I'm thinkin' that all that still matters is love ever after_

_After the life we've been through_

'_Cause I know there's no life after you_

_Last time we talked, the night that I walked_

_Burns like an iron in the back of my mind_

_I must've been high to say you and I _

_Weren't meant to be and just wasting my time_

_Oh why did I ever doubt you_

_You know I would die here without you_

_All that I'm after is a life full of laughter _

_As long as I'm laughing with you_

_I'm thinkin' that all that still matters is love ever after_

_After the life we've been through_

'_Cause I know there's no life after you_

_You and I, right or wrong, there's no other one_

_After this time I spent alone_

_It's hard to believe that a man with sight could be so blind_

_Thinkin' bout the better times, must've been outta my mind_

_So I'm runnin' back to tell you_

_All that I'm after is a life full of laughter_

_Without you, God knows what I'd do_

_All that I'm after is a life full of laughter _

_As long as I'm laughing with you_

_I'm thinkin' that all that still matters is love ever after_

_After the life we've been through_

'_Cause I know there's no life after you."_

After the song ended, we went and sat at a table with Taylor and Chad, and we all talked and laughed. Troy and I danced at every slow song. Me and Taylor danced a couple times to the faster songs, but we mostly sat and talked during them. Chad managed to find a girl to dance with during every slow song and quite a few of the fast ones. We all laughed at him, and teased him when he danced, but he just laughed with us. It didn't bother him. He even danced a slow dance with Taylor - twice, actually, I think.

"They're really cute together," I said, when they were dancing.

"Who, Chad and Taylor?" He asked, a little surprised.

"Yeah," I said.

"Oh, yeah, I guess. I can't really see them together, though," He shrugged.

"Yeah, they're always fighting," I agreed. I still thought they looked cute, though.

The night passed way too fast. I was really surprised when I realized the dance was already over. On the way to Taylor's house, I pulled out my phone and texted my mom, quickly, because I realized I hadn't asked if I could go to Troy's house, for pictures. I figured she wouldn't mind, but I didn't want to end up fighting with her again.

We went to Troy's house after dropping Taylor off (my mom didn't care, as I had expected) and when we got there, his mom gave me a hug.

"Hi, Gabriella," She smiled warmly. Mr. Bolton looked at me, kind of grunted in greeting (I think? I don't know, I don't speak grunt - or maybe it's just man-talk?), and walked away. Troy clenched his jaw, and took a couple deep breaths. "How was the dance?"

I answered her, and we just talked for a little while. Surprisingly, Troy stayed out of the conversation. He looked a little mad about something.

After a few minutes, Chad tried to slink off into the living room.

"Chad, get back here right now, I need a picture of you two boys together!"

"Oh, come on, Mrs. Bolton," He groaned.

"Chad," She said, in a no-nonsense voice, putting her hand on her hip. I almost laughed; she treated him as if he were her son.

"Fine," He said, glaring at Troy. He shrugged.

"Ain't my fault," He muttered. "Mom, Gabbi's gotta be home soon, so let's hurry with the pictures," He said. It was the first time he'd spoken since we came inside, and he definitely sounded upset. I slid my hand into his, and looked up at him, questioningly. He understood the look, and shook his head.

"Don't worry about it," He murmured into my ear, as we followed his mom into the dining room.

Mrs. Bolton took almost more pictures then my mom did. Finally, Troy managed to get me out of the house, and back into his truck. He took my hand when we started to drive, as usual.

"Sorry about all the pictures," He said, smiling apologetically at me. He'd seemed to relax a little bit while we were taking the pictures.

"It's fine," I smiled back. "I like your mom."

"She likes you a lot, too," He replied.

"That's good. What about your dad?" I said, somewhat hesitantly. He glanced at me out of the corner of his eyes.

"I'm not sure. He doesn't really say anything to me about my friends, but he hasn't said anything bad about you, so that's a good sign," He said. "Have I mentioned that you look really pretty tonight?" He said, changing the subject. I smiled, blushing.

"I think 'wow' kind of covered it," I replied, laughing. It didn't take long to get to my house. He pulled in and parked the truck, and then walked me up to the door.

"Tonight was really fun," He told me.

"Yeah, it was a lot of fun," I agreed. He stepped forward, and pulled me into a hug, his strong arms holding me tightly. Then he pulled away enough to look down at me. Slowly, he started leaning closer. I tilted my head up.

"Gabriella," I heard my mom call from inside. I pursed my lips and looked down. "Is that you?"

"Yeah, Mom," I called. "I'll be in in couple minutes."

"I should go," Troy said, softly, his arms still around my waist, and my hands resting on his biceps.

"Yeah," I agreed, leaning my head on his shoulder. He kissed my temple.

"I'll see you later," He said, stepping back.

"Okay," I said. "Bye." Once he got to his truck, I turned and went inside.

"Did you have fun?" My mom asked me.

"Yeah, it was great," I said, giving her a hug. "I'm going to sleep," I called, practically floating to my room.

I slid out of my dress and into a pair of pajamas, combed through my hair, and then flipped off my light. I fell asleep with images of Troy floating around in my head.

**A/N: Alright, so thanks for reading! I hope you liked it. Please review! :)**

**The song was Life After You, by Daughtry. **

**I'll try to update again, soon, I have a half day tomorrow so I'll hopefully get a chance to write some more! **

**Keep reading, please! :)**

**xoxox**


	4. Too Good To Be True

_Previously:_

"_I'll see you later," He said, stepping back._

"_Okay," I said. "Bye." Once he got to his truck, I turned and went inside._

"_Did you have fun?" My mom asked me._

"_Yeah, it was great," I said, giving her a hug. "I'm going to sleep," I called, practically floating to my room._

_I slid out of my dress and into a pair of pajamas, combed through my hair, and then flipped off my light. I fell asleep with images of Troy floating around in my head. _

**Chapter 4: Too Good To Be True**

**Gabriella POV:**

The next week passed, quickly. Friday night, after the game (which we won), Troy and I went to his house to watch a movie. His mom greeted us with a smile and a hug. She made us popcorn and brought us pop, and was altogether just in a really good mood. Troy put the movie in, and finally, once the movie was playing, she left us alone. We sat down on the couch. It was kind of awkward at first, but then he took my hand, and I leaned against him.

The movie was okay, but with Troy's arm around me, I found it hard to concentrate. Of course, he'd seen the movie already, so I don't think he was even trying to pay attention. He kept playing with my hair. It was really sweet.

After the movie, he drove me home and at the door he didn't hesitate quite as much, when he leaned down to kiss me. Just when our lips were about to touch though, his phone went off. He pulled it out of his pocket, glance at the number. He mumbled something under his breath I didn't understand.

"What?" He answered his phone. "I went home… Me and Gabbi watched a movie… Sorry, you and Taylor can come too, next time," He smirked at me when he said that, and I knew he was talking to Chad. He'd been dropping little hints about the two of them getting together ever since the dance, but I don't think that either of them had noticed it. We all just hung out so much at school since me and Troy started going out, that it was normal for the two of them to tag along, so that no one would feel like a third wheel.

The light in the kitchen flipped on, and it didn't take a genius to figure out that my mom was watching us from the window.

"I have to go," I told him, softly, and hugged him.

"Hun, wait, a second," He said to me, quickly, moving the phone away from his mouth. "I gotta go, I'll call you later," Troy said, into the phone again, and closed it. He put his phone back in his pocket and slid his arms back around my waist. I stepped forward and hugged him, a little bit awkwardly, since I knew he'd wanted to kiss me.

"My mom," I whispered into his ear in explanation, and then stepped back. He smiled at me, a little sadly.

"I'll see you later," He said.

"Bye," I said, stepping backwards, and going inside the house.

**{(~)}-{(~)}-{(~)}**

The next morning, when I woke up, I checked my phone right away. I smiled when I saw that I had a text from him. I opened it.

_From: Troy _

_good morning :)_

I smiled, and looked at what time he sent it. 6:47. I glanced at my clock. 8:03.

_To: Troy_

_someone was up early…_

I texted back, and then got out of bed to go to the bathroom. When I came back, he'd already texted me.

_From: Troy_

_I couldn't sleep._

_To: Troy_

_why not?_

_From: Troy_

_Idk, i couldn't get you out of my head… :)_

_To: Troy_

_:) wanna hang out at my house today?_

_From: Troy_

_Sure :) what time?_

I went and asked my mom quick if he could come over and - after a little begging - she gave in. I texted Troy back and told him any time was good, and he replied saying that he'd be over after he took a quick shower and got dressed. Quickly, I hurried to my room and combed my hair, pulling it up into a messy bun, because I didn't have time for anything else. I quickly realized that none of my jeans were clean, so I pulled on a pair of black jogging pants and a light pink spaghetti strap tank top. I glanced in the mirror. I didn't have any make up on, my hair looked kind of terrible, these pants made me look fat… and Troy was pulling in the driveway. I sighed. _Too late now, _I told myself, hurrying to get the door before my mom did.

"Hi," I smiled up at him. As usual, he looked amazing, wearing jeans and a tee shirt.

"Hey," He smiled back, and I stepped back, letting him come inside. He followed me into the kitchen.

"It's definitely not what you're used to," I told him, "But it's home," I shrugged. For some reason, it didn't really bother me that he knew that I came from a family with barely any money. He'd figured out by now that it's just me and my mom, no one else. He brought my dad up once, and then realized it was a touchy subject and he let it go. I was thankful for that.

I opened a cupboard, and reached up to get a poptart out of the box; sadly, I had to go up on my tippy toes, and I still couldn't reach it, because it had gotten shoved backwards. I heard Troy laugh, and he came up behind me. I felt one hand on my waist, as he reached up and grabbed me a poptart with the other. I turned and frowned at him.

"I could've gotten it," I said, indignantly. He laughed, and leaned down, kissing my forehead quickly, sending butterflies to my stomach, and making my knees go weak. I was glad I was leaning against the countertop. I squeezed my way between him and the counter so I could go get myself a glass of milk.

"If you want anything, you can grab it," I said, before turning and realizing he already had half a poptart gone. I rolled my eyes at him. He smiled.

"What?" He asked, with his mouth full. "Sorry," He said swallowing, seeing my expression. I shook my head, and took a sip of my milk. "What?" He asked again.

"I didn't say anything," I replied, smirking at him. My mom came in just then. My face reddened, even though there was nothing to be embarrassed about. It's not like she'd walked in on anything.

"Good morning, Ms. Montez," Troy said, polite as usual. I stifled a laugh. He had poptart crumbs all over his mouth.

"Good morning, Troy," She smiled. "Gabi, my boss just called, I have to go in today. Will you be alright by yourselves?" From her look, I knew that she was anxious about leaving me alone with a boy. I hoped that Troy didn't realize that - it was so embarrassing!

"It'll be fine, Mom," I assured her.

"Okay," She sighed, still looking uneasy. It took everything I had not to roll my eyes at her - that drove her crazy. "Well, call me if you need anything, alright? And you have my work number in case I don't answer my cell?"

"Yes, Mom," I said.

"Okay," She said. "Well you two have a nice day," She smiled back at Troy.

"You too, Ms. Montez," He replied.

"Don't get into any trouble," She said, with a teasing smile, and a lightness to her voice, but I heard the hidden message, and my face was burning by the time she finally left.

"Oh my God, that was awful!" I said, covering my face with my hands, and sliding to the kitchen floor.

"Oh, come on," Troy sat next to me. "Your mom's pretty cool, you got to admit that."

"I'd rather have your mom," I replied, leaning my head on his shoulder. He laughed at me, and took my hand. I looked at our interlocked fingers, and I smiled, just so happy that he was actually mine. This was better than anything I ever expected when my mom told me that we were moving here. I looked up at him; he was looking down at me. My eyes fluttered down to his lips for just a second, and he leaned in, and I tilted my head up, and then we were kissing. He pressed his lips against mine, and then pulled away, looking at me, before leaning down and kissing me again. I moved so my arms were around his neck, and his arms slid around my waist. His lips were warm and soft, and it felt so right to be there in his arms, even if we were sitting on my kitchen floor.

He pulled away, and smiled down at me. I smiled back, and laid my head against his shoulder, hugging him tightly. His arms around me tightened in response. I felt him press his lips against my forehead. I closed my eyes, and breathed in the smell of his shirt. It smelled faintly of cologne, and laundry detergent.

I don't know how long we sat there like that, all I know is that I didn't want to move, but I really had to pee. So, I excused myself, and hurried to the bathroom. When I came back, Troy was standing by the sink, looking out the window. I walked over to him, and poked his sides. He jumped and I giggled. He smiled at me, and turned to face me, sliding his arms around my waist, pulling me closer.

"Someone's jumpy today," I smiled, putting my arms around my neck.

"Well, you shouldn't sneak up on me," He responded.

"I didn't," I replied, slightly indignant. He leaned down and kissed my nose.

"Yes, you did," He said.

"No, I didn't," I replied, tilting my head up, and he pecked my lips.

"Yes, you did," He said, again, stubbornly. I laughed.

"You're not going to give in, are you?" I asked, laying my head on his chest.

"Nope," He replied, laughing.

"What do you want to do?" I asked.

"I don't know," He said.

"Let's play cards," I said, smiling up at him.

"Really?" He said, sounding a little surprised.

"Yeah," I said, a little excitedly. I pulled out of his arms, and took his hand, pulling him into the living room with me. I let go of his hand, and searched through a box for a deck of cards.

"Okay," He smiled.

"What?" I asked, seeing his amused expression.

"Nothing, I haven't played cards in forever," He replied, and I sat down on the floor, leaning against the couch. He sat down on the ground in front of me. I shuffled the cards, and dealt them out. We spent the day playing a variety of different card games, and we both learned a few new games. All in all, it was a great day. We were both really competitive about it, but neither of us got mad about the other winning. At some point, he started tickling me. Laughing, I tried to push him away, and we ended up play wrestling/tickling. Of course, since he's stronger and bigger than me, he won, but it didn't bother me, because we ended up with his arms wrapped around my waist, and I was sitting on his lap. We were both laughing really hard, to the point where my stomach was hurting and there were tears in my eyes.

When we finally managed to stop laughing, we looked at each other, and I found myself lost in those gorgeous blue eyes, and then, he was kissing me. Of course, that was when my mom chose to pull in the driveway. We pulled apart as we heard the gravel crunching, and fixed our card game, playing again. I started laughing again just as my mom walked in the door.

"Hello," She said, smiling. It seemed a little forced, to me.

"Hi," I said, my smile fading slightly, wondering what was wrong.

"Did you have a nice day?" She asked, heading into the kitchen.

"Yeah," I called in, and then she disappeared into her bedroom for the rest of the afternoon. Soon, too soon, Troy announced that he had to leave. I walked with him to the door, and he pulled me into a tight hug. I smiled into his chest.

"I'll see you later," He said, and kissed my forehead.

"Bye," I smiled, and he walked out of the house, closing the door behind him. I went into the kitchen, and grabbed a cup, filling it with water, and taking a sip as I smiled, thinking of Troy. A few minutes later, my mom came into the room, looking a little tired. My heart lurched. Uh-oh. I knew this look.

"How was work?" I said, forcing myself to speak through the lump in my throat. I was wrong. I had to be wrong. She was just tired. It was Saturday. She hadn't wanted to go to work today, hadn't expected to have to. That's all. Of course, that had to be it. That's what I kept telling myself.

But I knew better than to actually believe it. I should have known this was all too good to be true. I should have known…

"Hun, we have to talk."

Uh-oh. My heart sunk. This could not be happening. _This could not be happening… _I followed my mom into the living room and sat down on the couch. I'd done this so many times before, but it was different this time. So different.

"Hun, my boss offered me a new job. It's better pay then I've ever had before, a once in a lifetime opportunity. But the only problem is," She paused. "We have to move."

**A/N:**

**Hey, everyone. So sorry that it took me so long to update... :( I've kind of had writer's block during this chapter, so if it's not as good as the others, sorry... And also, I know this is kind of a cliff hanger, so I'll try and write as much as I can so that you don't have to wait as long for the next update as you did for this one... But either way, thanks so much for reading! I hoped you liked this chapter! :)**

**xoxox**


	5. Prom & All That Comes With It

_Previously:_

_But I knew better than to actually believe it. I should have known this was all too good to be true. I should have known…_

"_Hun, we have to talk."_

_Uh-oh. My heart sunk. This could not be happening. _This could not be happening… _I followed my mom into the living room and sat down on the couch. I'd done this so many times before, but it was different this time. So different. _

"_Hun, my boss offered me a new job. It's better pay then I've ever had before, a once in a lifetime opportunity. But the only problem is," She paused. "We have to move."_

**Chapter 5: Prom && All That Comes With It**

**Gabriella POV:**

"We have to move." We have to move. _We have to move_. The words kept echoing around in my head.

Even though I'd known what she was about to say, the words still hit me like a bucket of ice water. I felt a dozen protests come instantly to my lips, but I swallowed them all down. It was just another move. It didn't matter that I'd actually made friends this time, it didn't matter that I had a _boyfriend _here. I'd known all along that we would be moving again at some point - even if my mom had promised that this was our last move.

"It'll be our last move, honey, I promise," My mom said. I didn't mention that she'd been saying those exact words for as long as I could remember. I guess it made her feel better to say it though, so I never point it out. I nodded, unable to get any coherent words to come out of my mouth. "We aren't going to leave for a couple more months though, alright? I said I'd only go if you got to at least finish school here.

"Where are we going?" I asked, speaking past the lump in my throat.

"A town in New Jersey. It's only a couple hours from here. When you get your license, we'll have to see if we can find you a car, and then you can drive up on the weekends for visits," She said. I could tell that she was trying really hard to make this move easy on me, harder than she'd ever tried before. I had to give her credit for that. Of course she could've said she didn't want the job, that she wanted to stay here… I quickly tore myself out of that way of thinking. It was pointless. My mom was just trying to do what was best for me. I nodded, noiselessly as she went on about how amazing this new job was going to be. Finally, I managed to escape to my room. I grabbed my phone, and typed out a text to Troy.

_To: Troy_

_Im moving…_

My finger lingered over the send button, as tears threatened to spill down my cheeks. A million thoughts were running through my head. I hit the end button, and set my phone down on the dresser next to my bed, laying down on my bed as a few tears trickled down my cheeks. I was leaving in just a few months. I still had time to spend with Troy, and with Taylor, even Chad. I didn't have to tell any of them I was leaving, not yet. That could wait.

**{(~)}-{(~)}-{(~)}**

The next days passed quickly, and turned into weeks. I still hadn't told anyone about the move. I tried not to think about it, but I couldn't escape my mind completely. It still came over me when I was alone, which meant that I spent as much time with my friends as possible; when I wasn't with them, I threw myself into my school work, anything to keep my mind off the long summer ahead, without Troy, and my new friends. I had tons of fun, my grades were doing better than ever. I planned on savoring every moment I had left with my friends, before I had to move. I wondered if Troy and I could possibly stay together when I was living over 2 hours away. I wondered how I would be able to go form seeing Troy every single day, to only once or twice a week, if I was lucky.

Before I knew it, it was time for prom. After months of prompting, Chad finally got the clue, and he asked Taylor to go with him. I could barely believe how excited she was for it. We went shopping for our dresses together, again, and she picked out a pink strapless dress, and I found a gorgeous burnt orange dress. We spent most of the day in the mall, trying on our dresses, until we finally found the perfect ones. When we had started shopping, I was a little unsure about whether or not I even wanted to go, but by the end of the day, we were both so excited we could barely sit still. I dropped Taylor off - because, yes, I finally got my license, but, sadly, I hadn't gotten a car. I still had to borrow my mom's whenever I wanted to go anywhere.

When I got home, my mom was talking on the phone. She smiled at me when I came in, and mouthed, 'Just a second.' I nodded, and set my dress down in the living room, before heading into my room to grab a ponytail, pulling my hair into a messy bun. When I came back in, my mom was off the phone.

"Who was that?" I asked, curiously. She still hadn't admitted to me who this 'friend' of hers was, although I knew she was seeing someone. It was unlike her to keep a secret like this from me. I couldn't imagine why she was, either. Was it because of my dad? She hadn't seen anyone since he died, but I barely even remember him. I was only 5 when he died. He was driving home from work when a drunk driver ran a stop sign, hitting his car, and killing him instantly. Even though I don't really remember him, I still miss him sometimes, especially when I'm at Taylor's house, and I see her with her dad, and the way he teases her. Sometimes I wish that I would've been able to know what it's like - but oh well. It is what it is.

"Oh, just a friend," She said, waving it off, as she did every other time. I frowned, but she asked to see me dress, and I was too excited about it to question her. I took the dress out of the bag, and after the appropriate oh-ing and ah-ing, she asked me to go put it on so she could see me in it. I did, spinning a couple times around the small living room, a huge smile across my face.

"Oh, you look beautiful!" My mom exclaimed.

"Thanks," I said, giggling a little, my face reddening slightly. "I'm so excited!" I exclaimed. "I can't believe that it's still 3 weeks away!" I said, and, for the first time since I found out about the move, I wished that time would go by faster. Almost instantly, however, I took that wish back, knowing that I didn't have that much time left with Troy the way it was. Right now, it was the beginning of April, which meant I had the rest of this month, and then May, and that was it. School was out, and so was I. I had to admit though, despite the fact that I would miss everyone from here like crazy once I was gone, if I could go back and redo it, I wouldn't change a single thing.

**{(~)}-{(~)}-{(~)}**

The next few weeks flew by, almost faster than the past few months. Prom came, and Taylor came over to get ready. My mom had the day off at work, and she helped both of us do her hair. She worked with a hairdresser once, so she could do some pretty amazing things. By the time we were ready, the two of us looked like princesses ready for a ball.

"I feel like I'm Cinderella waiting for her Prince to come," Taylor giggled as we sat down on the couch, after hours of preparations. I couldn't help laughing with her.

"Prince Chad," I said formally, once we stopped laughing. "It has a nice ring to it, don't you think?" We both collapsed into giggles again, and the doorbell rang. I jumped up to go get it, but it was just Chad at the door. When I saw him, I started laughing.

"What?" He said, confused. "Do I have something on my face?" His hand went to his cheek, and then he looked down at his tux, trying to figure out what was so fun. I shook my head.

"Inside joke," I managed to get out. "Come in," I offered, stepping away from the door. He stepped in, and then his gaze fell onto Taylor, who was now standing up.

"Wow," He breathed softly. Her hair was pulled up into a bun, with some strands hanging down. The loose pieces were curled and my mom had put this sparkly spray stuff in her hair, so it was all glittery. As I looked at her, I could see why Chad couldn't take his eyes off her. She looked absolutely amazing. I paled in comparison to her. I smiled. I was happy for her. I got my prince, and it looks like she was going to get hers, as well. I heard a car pull in the driveway. I turned and went to the door as Troy came up the sidewalk. He smiled when he saw me, and I swear, my heart almost stopped completely. He looked better than I'd ever seen him before, wearing his tux, with a corsage box in his hand. He opened it, and put it on my wrist, glancing up at me constantly. I saw a camera flash out of the corner of my eye, and I felt my cheeks automatically reddening.

"Mom," I groaned.

"Oh, don't even start," She interrupted. "You and Taylor look amazing, and I am going to get pictures, whether you like it or not." Troy laughed.

"My mom wants pictures too," He added, unhelpfully. I groaned.

"Oh yeah," Chad said, spotting the corsage on my wrist. "I have one of those things too," He said, jogging out of his car. I raised my eyebrows at Taylor.

"Those things?" I said, questioningly. She sighed dramatically and shook her head.

"I'm going to have to teach this boy some things," She said, and then we smiled. Chad came back in.

"Who, me?" He said.

"No, of course not, why would we ever be talking about you?" Taylor said sweetly, looking up at him, and then looked at me and rolled her eyes.

"I saw that," Chad said, attempting to glare at Taylor. She glared back, and within seconds, they were both laughing. I smiled. They were so cute together. I really hoped that they really would end up being together after this. Even if she refuses to admit it, I know that Taylor has a huge crush on him. For how long, I'm not sure. Maybe it's been since even before I got here, but I can't be sure, because I know she wasn't real impressed with Troy, or any of the other basketball players at that time - but now that she's gotten to know quite a few of them, she doesn't have too much against them anymore. Or at least not most of them…

My mom took a picture as Chad put Taylor's corsage on - although his first attempt failed. It was kind of funny listening to Taylor rag on him. Finally, he got it, and then, of course, we filed outside to take pictures out by the tree.

"We're going to take some pictures once we get to the school as well, Ms. Montez," Troy informed my mom. I groaned but everyone just ignored me; I was always like this when it came to pictures. "My mom wants some professional ones done. And if it's alright, she wants Gabbi to come over tonight so she can get some pictures, and see her dress in person."

"That's fine," My mom assured her, playing with her camera. "Alright now," She said, "Troy, you stand there." And so the picture taking began…

Finally, the pictures ended, and we piled into Troy's dad's car, once again. A lot of this seemed so similar to the winter formal, yet at the same time, so different. So much had happened since then, so much had changed, but yet, it was still the same… Troy took my hand as we drove into town, me and Taylor singing along to the radio loudly, while Troy and Chad groaned, while attempting to hold back their laughter. Most of their attempts, might I add, failed miserably.

"And to think," Chad said over the music, "This is the same girl who, four months ago, wouldn't even say more than two words to me at a time." Everyone laughed, including me, even as my face turned red - sure I'd become less shy, but that hadn't stopped my blushing habit one bit. Troy looked at me, smiling, and he rubbed his thumb on my palm; no matter how many times he did that, I doubt that it will ever stop giving me butterflies.

The night flew by. It was absolutely amazing. I had the greatest time ever. Me and Troy danced together a lot, and I even danced with Chad once, while Troy and Taylor danced together. We talked and laughed and danced and, the worst part of the evening, we got our pictures taken. Afterwards, we stopped at Troy's café (well, his mom's café, technically, but everyone calls it his), which was opened all night, and got some food. After that, we dropped Taylor off, and then Chad, before heading over to Troy's house. He pulled into the driveway and parked the car but he didn't move to open his door right away. He looked at me.

"Did I mention that you look beautiful?" He asked me softly. I smiled and blushed, looking away without answering. I don't know how he still managed to do that to me. He reached over and brushed his finger over my cheek gently and I looked back at him. He leaned down and brushed his lips against mine briefly. I smiled, and bit my lip, looking up at him, shyly. He smiled too, and glanced up at the house.

"Come on," He said, opening his door. "My mom's waiting up for us."

As it turns out, his mom had actually fallen asleep waiting for us, but she woke up as soon as she heard the door close. She walked into the kitchen, looking a little groggy, with a bathrobe over her pajamas.

"Oh, hi," She smiled, her face brightening when she saw us. "Oh, Gabriella, your dress is beautiful!" She exclaimed.

"Thanks," I smiled, and blushed, which was to be expected.

"Who did your hair?" She asked.

"My mom," I told her.

"Oh, wow, it looks like it was professionally done," She said. "Your mom could start her own hairdressers!" She joked. I smiled again. She glanced back at the clock. "Your back a little later than I expected?" She said, raising a questioning eyebrow at Troy. Yes she was amazing, and super nice, and I liked her a lot, but she was also pretty strict.

"We stopped at the café on the way home to grab something to eat," Troy replied. She nodded in understanding.

"Alright, well, pictures, we need pictures," She said, and then walked around, searching for her camera, finally finding it. After another round of pictures, she finally let us go.

"Okay, I love your mom, but seriously, what's with all the pictures?" I complained, after somehow managing to climb into Troy's truck with the dress, and the heels. He laughed.

"Maybe we should've took the car," He commented, before replying to what I'd said. "And it's just a picture. It's not going to kill you." I glared at him. "What?" He laughed. He reached over and tickled my sides.

"Stop!" I complained, giggling.

"Alright, I'm sorry," He said, smiling at me. I slid my hand into his.

"You're lying," I accused, smiling back.

"Maybe," He teased. I laughed, and shook my head, looking out the window. Tonight had been a great night, but it wasn't much of a surprise. Almost every night I spent with Troy was a good night. We'd never even had a real fight yet. I know that it's bound to come, but I'm happy with things the way they are right now. We've had little fights every once in a while, our small disagreements, but never about anything actually important. I was actually kind of dreading our first big fight. I also was wondering when it would come, or if it would even come. What if we broke up because of the move, before it even came? What then?

"What are you thinking about?" Troy asked me, curiously, after a few minutes of silence. I shrugged.

"Nothing, really," I lied. He saw right through it, I could tell from the way he looked at me, but he didn't push it. He squeezed my hand a little tighter though, and I felt my eyes fill with tears. I blinked hard, holding them back, but they didn't escape Troy's attention. Once again though, he didn't say anything, and we drove the rest of the way to my house in silence.

"I had a lot of fun, tonight," I said, after he pulled into my driveway, moving to open the door. He reached across and grabbed my hand.

"What's wrong?" He said, gently, looking into my eyes. I stared back at him for a few moments, and then turned, scared the tears would start falling if I didn't. "Tell me," He whispered. I looked back at him. We sat in silence for a while. Finally I opened my mouth and took a deep breath to tell him it was nothing, don't worry about it.

"I'm moving," is what came out instead.

**A/N: **

**Alright everyone, first of all, thank you so much for reading! :) It makes me happy! I hope you like it so far. And sorry that this chapter has a little bit of a cliffhanger too. :( Seems like I'm good at those, lol. Please review and tell me what you think! And sorry for making Gabbi move, but I've got a lot of good ideas for this story (or at least I think they're good... lol) and she has to move to make them work. So I hope you like it! :) **

**Thanks Again for Reading! :))**

**xoxox**


	6. Best For Me

_Previously:_

"_I had a lot of fun, tonight," I said, after he pulled into my driveway, moving to open the door. He reached across and grabbed my hand._

"_What's wrong?" He said, gently, looking into my eyes. I stared back at him for a few moments, and then turned, scared the tears would start falling if I didn't. "Tell me," He whispered. I looked back at him. We sat in silence for a while. Finally I opened my mouth and took a deep breath to tell him it was nothing, don't worry about it._

"_I'm moving," is what came out instead._

**Chapter 6: Best For Me**

**Gabriella POV:**

Troy didn't reply right away. He kind of just stared at me, the surprise evident in those gorgeous blue eyes. I wanted to say something, to break the awful silence, but I didn't know what I could say. So I waited for him to say something.

"What?" He said, finally, in a whisper. "Moving – where?" He said, as if he was still trying to grasp the concept.

"New Jersey," I said, softly, looking down at my hands, which I had folded in my lap.

"When?"

"Right after school gets out," I said. Another silence, shorter this time, ensued.

"How long have you known?" He then asked. I took in a deep breath and let it out slowly.

"A while," I said, simply, unsure how he would respond. Would he be mad because I didn't tell him sooner? Or would he understand why I didn't?

"Why didn't you tell me?" He asked, sounding sad. I looked at him, and his eyes were filled with sorrow.

"I'm sorry, I guess I – I just didn't really know how. And I didn't want to," I paused. "I don't know, I didn't want to ruin the time we had left?" I said, unsurely. He nodded, and didn't say anything. "I'm sorry," I said again.

"It's not your fault," He said. "I thought that you were both happy here? Doesn't your mom have a boyfriend or something?"

I shrugged. I was still a little confused about that, too. "I don't know," I replied, honestly. "I thought so too, but, I don't know, she still hasn't said anything about him. I'm not even sure where he's from - or if they're even dating for that matter."

"Why can't you stay? Did you try telling her you didn't want to go?"

"No, but -"

"Why not?" He interrupted. "Don't you want to stay? Don't you want to be with me?" He sounded almost hurt, as if he honestly believed I didn't.

"Of course I do! I want to stay here, but," I paused, blinking quickly and looking out the window instead of into those sad blue eyes. "Look, it's hard to explain, okay?" I said, looking back at him. "I have to go," I said, climbing out of the truck.

"Gabriella," He protested. "Wait."

But I didn't wait. I couldn't face him right now. Not with his wrongful accusations spinning around in my head. How could he even think that I didn't want to stay here and be with him? I shut the car door, and lifting up my skirt, hurried inside. My mom was asleep on the couch; I knew she'd been trying to wait up for me. I closed the door softly, and went over to wake her up.

"Gabriella?" She said, groggily.

"I'm back," I said, softly.

"Did you have a good time?" She asked.

"Yeah, we had a lot of fun," I replied. "I'm going to bed though, okay?" I said.

"Alright," She murmured, already falling back asleep. I went into my room to grab a pair of pajamas, and then went into the bathroom. I changed out of my dress and hung it up, carefully, and then removed my makeup, and combed through my hair. I turned the shower on, and stepped into it, feeling the hot water beat down on me.

It wasn't until then that I started to cry. Hot tears slid down my cheeks and mixed with the water from the shower. I don't know how long I stayed in there. When I got back out, I had 3 texts from Troy, and 2 missed calls.

I turned my phone off, laid down, and went to sleep.

**{(~)}-{(~)}-{(~)}**

The next morning, I slept until almost 8:30. I opened my eyes, and remembered last night, first prom, which made me happy, and then everything that came with it and my heart sunk. I felt badly about ignoring Troy, now, both in the car and his texts and calls. I grabbed my phone, and turned it on.

_From: Troy_

_Im sorry, did I do something wrong?_

_From: Troy_

_Gabriella, please answer me_

_From: Troy_

_Im really sorry_

_From: Troy_

_R u there?_

_From: Taylor_

_Hey, troy called me, he told me u were moving? Why didn't you say anything before?_

I closed my eyes and sighed. I knew I was going to have to do this eventually. I opened my eyes again, and decided to text Taylor first. It would probably be easier to explain to her, anyways.

_To: Taylor_

_Yeah, Im moving to new jersey… I didnt say anything cuz I didnt want to ruin the time I had left with you guys with thoughts of me leaving, I guess_

I reread the text, and then hit send. It was the truth; I hoped she would understand.

She texted me back right away, as I was still deciding what to say to Troy.

_From: Taylor_

_Hey dont worry about it. But you might wanna talk to troy - hes really worried!_

I read the text and tears came to my eyes. I hadn't meant to worry Troy…

_To: Troy_

_Hey, im rlly sorry about last night, I guess im just rlly emotional about having to move. I don't wanna go…_

I hit send, and closed my eyes, waiting for him to text back. It didn't take long at all.

_From: Troy_

_I don't want you to go either… :(_

A single tear slid out of my eye when I read this. I wished more than I ever had before that I didn't have to move so much, that for once my mom could actually mean it when she said it was our last move. Why did she even say that anyways? It's not like I ever believed it, and I'm sure she knew it wasn't true. I guess we always hope though… I mean, it's not like she plans to move so often. It just… happens. Better job opportunities, the chance at a better life, a better school for me… Whatever she does, she always does hoping that it will make life better. She never meant to hurt me with any of it. She just wants what's best for me.

_To: Troy_

_Ive still got a month left…_

I said, in hopes that it would make him (and myself) feel a little better.

_From: Troy_

_I know… why didn't you tell me sooner?_

_To: Troy_

_I didn't want to ruin the time we had left… im sorry_

_From: Troy_

_Its okay… I understand_

It was amazing how just those few words made me feel so much better.

_To: Troy_

_My mom rlly thinks this ones gonna be our last_

I knew he'd understand I was talking about our moves.

_From: Troy_

_Hopefully it is… how far is it from here?_

_To: Troy_

_About 2 hours I think…_

_From: Troy_

_Maybe I can come up on the weekends sometimes_

_To: Troy_

_Yeah… my mom says I can get a car so I can come up here and see you guys sometime too_

_From: Troy_

_Yeah, that would be good. Then youd get to see taylor too_

_To: Troy_

_Yeah, ik. Im gonna miss all of you guys so much_

_From: Troy_

_Im gonna miss you too, hun_

_To: Troy_

_Im glad you understand_

_From: Troy_

_Yeah… im gonna come over okay?_

_To: Troy_

_Kay_

I hit send, and then got up to get dressed.

**{(~)}-{(~)}-{(~)}**

"Troy's here," My mom called, about half an hour later. She didn't even sound surprised or upset that I hadn't asked for him to come. He's been over a lot lately and my mom really likes him. I came out of my room and went to the kitchen where I found Troy talking to my mom.

"Hey," He smiled at me when he came in. I smiled back, shyly. He slid his arm around my waist.

"Do you guys want to watch some movies?" My mom asked. "I rented some last night. They're in the living room."

Troy and I went and got the movies and went into my room to watch them on my TV. When he first started coming over, Troy wasn't allowed in my room at all, but for some reason, my mom changed her mind on that rule. She's actually been giving me a lot of freedom, which is kind of weird.

We laid on the bed and watched movies for most of the day. We kind of talked throughout a lot of them, though. Around one, my mom left to go to the grocery store, and we finished up our last movie.

"When do you have to go home?" I asked him. He shrugged.

"In time for dinner, that's it," He said. "Oh, my mom wanted you to come over for Easter dinner next Sunday," He told me.

"Oh," I said, a little unsurely.

"You don't want to go?" He asked, a little disheartened.

"No, it's not that," I told him, quickly. "It's just, I don't want to leave my mom alone on Easter."

"Oh," Troy said. "Well she can come, too. I'm sure my mom won't mind."

"Are you sure?" I asked.

"Yeah, it's fine, we always have a whole bunch of people over."

"How many is a whole bunch?" I asked, nervously. He laughed.

"Don't worry, you'll know some of them. Chad's going to be there, and I think Taylor's going to go to, whether she's going as Chad's date, I'm not yet sure."

"She should," I said. "They were really cute together last night." Troy didn't mention that I say this every single time I see them do anything together.

"Yeah, they were. I think Chad likes her."

"They would make a cute couple."

This time Troy laughed, and told me how much I said that. I laughed, too, and just told him that I knew.

As we sat there and talked, I knew that everything was going to be okay. He wasn't mad because I had to move - it wasn't exactly my fault, anyways, so it wouldn't have been fair if he had been. He still cared about me, and I cared about him. We would find a way to make this work.

I smiled, and leaned against his chest; I could hear his heartbeat. It was relaxing.

I closed my eyes, and fell asleep.

**A/N:**

**Hey everyone! Thanks for reading! I really appreciate it. Now, just review and I will love you even more! :D lol. I hope you're liking the story.**

**And also, I know I'm a little backwards with my Easter. Since prom was at the very end of the month, Easter should've come first, but I guess we're just going to have a little bit of a late Easter for this... I didn't even think of Easter when I was writing it. I'm surprised I remembered to put it in there at all - and today's Easter! But oh well, sorry about that little mistake. And also, this one's a little bit shorter than most of my other chapters, I think, so sorry about that. **

**Haha, I just realized I say 'and also' a lot... hehe, oopsies ;) but anyways, thanks so much for reading! Please review! :) Happy Easter! Hope you all get lots of candy! ;) lol. **

**xoxox**


	7. The First Kiss Is Always The Sweetest

_Previously:_

_As we sat there and talked, I knew that everything was going to be okay. He wasn't mad because I had to move - it wasn't exactly my fault, anyways, so it wouldn't have been fair if he had been. He still cared about me, and I cared about him. We would find a way to make this work. _

_I smiled, and leaned against his chest; I could hear his heartbeat. It was relaxing. _

_I closed my eyes, and fell asleep. _

**Chapter 7: The First Kiss Is Always The Sweetest**

**Gabriella POV:**

The next week flew by, and to my surprise, Troy didn't act any differently because he knew about the move. In fact, he barely ever even brought it up. It didn't bother me, or make me mad, though, because the reason I hadn't told him was because I _didn't _want him to act differently or bring it up all the time. Before I knew it, it was Easter. I got up early to get ready for church - my mom and I have never gone, but Troy's mom had invited me to go with them.

I wasn't really sure what to wear to church, so I asked my mom for her opinion. We searched my closet and managed to find a cute light blue peasant skirt that went to about my knees, and a slightly darker blue tank top with a belt and a white lacy short sleeve shrug to go overtop. For shoes, my mom forced me to give up my converse for the day and wear a pair of nice flip flops.

After I got dressed, I carefully did my hair and applied my makeup. I was feeling slightly nervous already - today was the day I was going to meet all of Troy's family! However, Chad and Taylor were both going to be there, so it wouldn't be completely awkward, but I was still really nervous about it.

After my mom left my room, I grabbed a pair of jeans and my converse, and slid them into my purse, somehow managing to force the zipper closed. Not long after, Troy pulled in the driveway. I headed outside, calling to my mom that I'd see her in a bit, and then got into Troy's truck. He smiled at me.

"You look nice," He said, taking my hand, and pulling out of the driveway. I smiled, knowing my cheeks were probably red, as usual.

"Thanks," I said. It only took a couple minutes to get to the church, which was right in town. Thankfully I found that there were people who were more dressed up than me, but also less dressed up then me, although most of them were about the same. Troy was wearing a simple blue dress up shirt tucked into his jeans. It brought out his eyes, and also matched me, which I thought was amusing, considering we hadn't even done it on purpose.

He took my hand as we went inside and found our seats next to his parents.

The church service seemed to drag on forever. I had never been a real big fan of church, and it was obvious Troy wasn't either; I think it's part of being a teenager. Finally, it was over. Troy stayed and talked to a couple people, waiting for his parents, but finally he gave up on them, and we headed over to his house.

"Wow, it smells really good," I said when we stepped into the kitchen.

"Yeah, Mom was up super early this morning to cook everything."

"Doesn't she ever get tired of cooking?" I asked. I mean after all, she did own her own restaurant.

"You'd think she would, but she doesn't."

"Probably a good thing," I smirked at him. "You and your dad would probably starve if she ever did."

"Hey," He protested. "I can cook just fine." I didn't even both responding to that. I just looked at him out of the corner of my eyes, and then rolled them up towards the ceiling, and started walking to the living room. Troy grabbed my waist from behind and pulled me back against him.

"So you think I can't cook?" He asked, leaning down to look at me. "I'll show you," He said. "Someday, I'll show you."

"Okay," I laughed. "You do that."

"Oh, I will," He guaranteed.

"Okay," I said, going up on my toes, pecking his lips quickly before heading into the living where I'd set my bag, and pulled out my jeans, heading to the bathroom to change.

By the time I got back out, Chad and Taylor had gotten a ride. She hurried over to me, and leaned into my ear. "Chad picked me up today," She sounded super excited.

"Really?" I asked. She nodded.

"You so like him," I told her.

"Shh!" She exclaimed.

"So you admit it!" I said, surprised. She glances over her shoulder at him, and then back at me, and nodded, squeezing her eyes shut. I laughed. "I knew it!"

"Oh, shut up," She glared at me. It didn't last long. "Ohmigod, his cologne smells amazing," She whispered, and we both burst into giggles. The boys looked over at us like we were crazy. Of course, this only made us laugh more.

Slowly, the house filled up. There were Troy's cousins running around, as well as his niece and nephew. I was surprised at how many people showed up. Troy's mom really knew how to throw a party.

After eating dinner - which was delicious, no surprise - we (meaning me, Chad, Taylor, Troy, and a bunch of his cousins, his older sister, Stephanie, and her two kids) all went out to the backyard. Before long, we had a game of football going - girls against guys. Considering most of the boys were a lot younger than the girls, we had it pretty easy. We all tried to make sure that everyone got a turn with the ball, even though it would've been easy to just hog the ball to ourselves. I thought it was really sweet, seeing Chad and Troy playing with all the little kids. I think Taylor did too.

As the afternoon turned into the night, the football game died down since a few of the kids had to leave, and the rest abandoned us to go inside.

"Hey, you guys, wanna come check out our old tree house?" Chad said to Taylor and I, once all the little kids were gone.

"Chad," Troy warned.

"What?" He asked, smiling with an excitement, like a little kid. "It'll be fun! Come on," He grabbed Taylor's hand and pulled her back to the clump of trees at the backyard. Troy shrugged, and took my hand as we followed them. At the base of the biggest tree, I found a pretty beat up looking rope ladder.

"Are you guys sure this is safe?" Taylor asked, hesitantly, looking up at the tree house above our heads.

"Nope," Chad smiled. "That is why I," He paused, dramatically, grabbing the rope ladder, "Am going up first." Taylor rolled her eyes at him. "What?" He said, his gaze flickering all of us, and returning to Taylor. I shrugged, starting to giggle. "God," He mumbled under his breath. "Try to be chivalrous."

"Oooh, chivalrous," Taylor teased. "That's a big word for a guy like you."

"A guy like me?" He said, putting his hand on his chest, looking shocked. "I'm hurt! I am very smart thank you very much."

"Uh huh, sure," Taylor said. "So are you going to stay down here playing macho-man all night, or are you actually going _up_?"

"I'm going up," Chad pouted - he actually literally pouted. I hid my face behind my hand, trying, unsuccessfully, to hide my laugh. He glared at me, but then he was distracted, once again, by the prospect of claiming the 'dangerous' rope ladder in front of him, and focused his attention on it. He started climbing up. To my surprise, it actually held. Then he disappeared into the opening for the tree house. A moment later, his head reappeared.

"Hey, you coming?" He called down. "What, you a chicken?" He teased.

"Oh he didn't," I heard Taylor mumble as she grabbed the rope and started hauling herself up.

"Wow," I said softly.

"What?" Troy asked.

"They're like, totally perfect for each -" I was interrupted by his lips brushing against mine briefly.

"Sorry," He smiled down at me, brushing a stray hair of my cheek. I felt my cheeks begin to redden. I almost wish he wouldn't do stuff like that - almost - just because of my cheeks. "What were you saying?"

"Umm," I hesitated, trying to remember. What had we even been talking about?

"Hey, you two lovebirds, you coming up or not?" Chad yelled down, interrupting my thoughts. I laughed.

"Ladies first," Troy said, gallantly, stepping back so I could get to the ladder.

"You're just scared," I teased, grabbing the ladder.

"What was that?" Troy grabbed my waist and pulled me off. I tried to cling to it but it did no good. I squealed quietly.

"Troy!" I laughed. He spun me in a circle around him before setting me down and twisting me so I was facing him.

"What?" He asked, softly, smiling down at him. The light from the patio hit his face just perfectly, making him look almost as if he was glowing.

"Nothing," I whispered, and slid my arms around his neck. He leaned down, closer and closer, and then…

"Troy! Come on! Don't be a chicken!" Chad called. I rolled my eyes, and grabbed the ladder, making it all the way up this time with no incidents.

**Taylor POV:**

When Chad texted me and offered to pick me up as I was getting ready to go to the Bolton's I was surprised. Not bad surprised though, good surprised. I waited a couple minutes to text him back, so as not to seem like I was desperate or anything.

_To: Chad_

_Sure, if its not out of ur way_

The next thing I knew, Chad was pulling into my driveway in his old red Cadillac.

"That's my ride," I called to my mom.

"Okay," She called back, not even bothering to ask when I'd be back. I'm sure once things settled down a little bit then she'd call or text me to ask where I was - that's what happens when you have 3 younger siblings, who were currently all screaming, crying, or trying to eat the dog food.

I went outside and got in the car, where Chad was waiting.

"Hey," I said, smiling at him.

"Hi," He said, putting the car into gear and pulling out. "Happy Easter."

"Easter?" I said. "Oh, right," I leaned my head back against the seat and closed my eyes.

"You didn't know it was Easter?" Chad raised his eyebrows at me.

"No, I did, I just, I don't know," I said.

"Wow, for being so smart, you're -"

"Don't go there," I interrupted, glaring at him.

"You don't even know what I was going to say!" He protested.

"You were going to say, 'wow, for being so smart, you're pretty dumb."

"Okay, so you did know what I was going to say," Chad corrected himself.

"How fast are you going!" I exclaimed, as he had sped up as soon as we got out of town.

"Calm down, I'm barely going over the speed limit."

I just stared at him for a minute, and then shook my head.

"What?" He asked, confused.

"Men," Was all I would say.

"What?" He said, again, smiling. I didn't even bother giving him an answer this time - he sure could be dense sometimes!

It seemed like it didn't take as long as usual to get to Troy's house - probably because of Chad's crazy driving. When we walked in, Troy said Gabbi was in the bathroom. As soon as she came out I ran over and told her about my morning, and I finally, for the very first time, admitted to liking Chad. Although I knew she already knew - her and Troy had been dropping hints about us since the winter formal! But, as I've said already, Chad really could be dense sometimes! I wonder if he does it on purpose, or if he's really just that dumb…

The day passed so quickly. There were a lot of little kids running around, most of them related to Troy in some way - not that I could remember which ones were which. Although it was really cute watching Chad play with them outside after we ate, I was thankful when they all finally left us alone. I had to put up with kids enough at my house! And if you count Chad… that's basically all the time, then.

When Chad asked if we wanted to see the tree house, I couldn't help but smile a little - he always got so excited over little stuff like this! He really was like a little kid! He was dramatic too, as he proved, once again, when he was being so 'chivalrous'. I thought it was kind of cute how he had to go first to make sure it was 'safe' though.

When I got to the top of the rope, Chad reached down to help me get inside the tree house.

"It's a little hard the first few times," He explained with that cute little smile of his that showed his dimple.

"Thanks," I said, standing up inside the little tree house. It was just so darn cute! There was a little bench on the side, and a roof, and everything. I walked over to the side, and looked down over the railing; it was pretty high up. It made me glad I was scared of heights.

Then I felt something pushing me forward, and I let out a little yelp, and then I felt Chad holding me up, and I realized what happened. He's tried to scare me by making me think I was going to fall off the side. I spun and hit him, and then glared at him.

"Oh come on," He laughed. "That was funny."

"It was not!" I protested.

"Yes it was," He insisted.

"No," I said stubbornly, but I was fighting a smile back - and currently the smile was winning. He laughed at me again.

"You can't stay mad," He told me, before sticking his head into the opening and yelling something down about 'lovebirds' to Troy and Gabbi. I shook my head at him.

"What?" He said smiling.

"Nothing," I said, sitting down. He came and sat next to me. After a couple minutes, and still no Troy or Gabbi, he leaned over the side and yelled something down to them again. A few moments later, Gabbi appeared, and he went over to help her up, much the same way he'd helped me. Then Troy came up, and we just sat up and talked in the tree house, until it started getting dark, and Gabbi wanted to go back inside. Chad asked me if I was going to stay out, and I said sure, because it sounded like he wanted to - and from the smile on his face it looked like I guess right. He sat down next to me again, and looked up at the little bits of the sky you could see through the sky.

"Look," He said suddenly, pointing up. I looked, and I saw a light flash across the sky and then fade away. A shooting star… "Make a wish," Chad whispered. I smiled, and closed me eyes, and made a wish, even though I knew it was slightly childish to do so. That didn't make it any less fun.

"What did you wish for?" He asked me.

"I can't tell you! Then it won't come true!" I said, but the truth was, I just didn't want to tell him what I'd wished for. He laughed at me. "What did you wish for?" I asked.

"What? That's not fair, you didn't tell me," He protested.

"So?" I giggled.

"Okay, fine," He said. I turned to look at him. To my surprise, he looked nervous. But no, that must be my imagination. This was Chad. When does he ever get nervous!

_When he asked you to prom_, a little voice in my head whispered.

"I wished for this," He said, softly. Definitely nervous, he lifted his hand to my cheek, turning my face up slightly, and leaning down, brushed his lips against mine in the sweetest first kiss I could've ever imagined.

**A/N: **

**Alright! I am back with another chapter! :D Thanks (again) so, so much for reading! The fact that any of you have gotten this far with this story already makes me super happy && excited! And a special thanks to yogaluva && pumpkinking5 for reading && reviewing every single chapter, it means so much to me! If anyone has any questions about my story, or any advice about my writing, just tell me in a review or send me a PM. I don't want anyone to be confused about anything, and I would like to improve my writing in any way I can. Thanks again so much for reading! Anyone who's made it this far in my story and is still sticking around for more is pretty much amazing! :D I love you guys!**

**xoxox**


	8. I Love You

**A/N:**

**Alright guys, I hope you don't get mad at me for this, but I'm going to rock the Troy && Gabbi boat just a little bit here. And also, I'm just wondering, would you guys like me to stick with mostly Troy && Gabriella, or do you want some more about Taylor && Chad too? I don't know if you liked how I had that in the end of the last chapter, so please review and answer that question for me, or send me a PM! Thanks! Enjoy! **

**xoxox**

_Previously:_

"_What did you wish for?" He asked me._

"_I can't tell you! Then it won't come true!" I said, but the truth was, I just didn't want to tell him what I'd wished for. He laughed at me. "What did you wish for?" I asked. _

"_What? That's not fair, you didn't tell me," He protested._

"_So?" I giggled._

"_Okay, fine," He said. I turned to look at him. To my surprise, he looked nervous. But no, that must be my imagination. This was Chad. When does he ever get nervous!_

When he asked you to prom_, a little voice in my head whispered._

"_I wished for this," He said, softly. Definitely nervous, he lifted his hand to my cheek, turning my face up slightly, and leaning down, brushed his lips against mine in the sweetest first kiss I could've ever imagined._

**Chapter 8: I Love You**

**Gabriella POV:**

I had totally forgotten about Sharpay (Troy's little puppy dog?), until the next morning, when I walked in to see her standing at his locker, talking about who knows what. I tried as hard as I could to ignore them both as I walked past them to my locker and set my bag inside. When I turned back, Sharpay was still talking to him. I thought she was standing a little closer than necessary, but maybe that was just my opinion.

Instead of going to talk to Troy, I went and found Taylor, who was just walking in.

"Hey," She said. "Where's Tro -" She cut off when she saw him. "Oh," She said, glaring in their direction. "What's she want?"

"I don't know," I shrugged. "He was talking to her when I came in."

"Oh, hunny," Taylor said, sympathetically. "Don't worry about her. He broke up with her for a reason - and a very valid one, I'm sure. She's just up to her usual tricks," With the last sentence, Taylor shot another nasty look at her. I shrugged it off.

"It's fine, I just don't want to interrupt."

Taylor looked at me and raised her eyebrows. "He's your _boyfriend_. He shouldn't be talking about anything all that important with his _ex_," She said, bluntly. I shrugged again.

"Did you finish Calc homework?" I asked, changing the subject.

**{(~)}-{(~)}-{(~)}**

Troy didn't mention talking to Sharpay at all, so I didn't bring it up. I noticed a couple times when we passed her that she smiled at him and gave him this little wave. I tried to ignore it, but I couldn't help but notice how he smiled back. Did that smile mean something or was he just being nice - being Troy?

I knew I was being paranoid, but I couldn't help it. Here was this tall blonde girl, cheerleader, everything that went with the perfect jock's girlfriend. But then there was me, kind of short, dark hair that refused to go straight no matter what I did, barely any makeup, nerd, not perfect for anyone's girlfriend. Of course I was going to be just a little bit jealous of her! Who couldn't be? Especially if she's trying to steal your boyfriend from you.

Steal my boyfriend? Okay, now I know I'm paranoid. They were just talking! It doesn't mean anything. Not necessarily…

After school, as me and Troy were walking out to his car (now that basketball was over, he was giving me a ride home, as well as there, since I still didn't have a car) when Sharpay interrupted us.

"Hi Troy!" She said excitedly, and shot me a look, as if I shouldn't be there, like I wasn't worthy enough for him or something. "So are you coming?" She asked him, that perky little smile glued back on her face as if it were never gone.

"I'll try and make it," He told her with that prize-winning smile of his.

"Great," She smiled. "Well I have to go," She said. "See you around!" She waved as she walked away.

"Go where?" I asked, trying to sound casual.

"Oh, her birthday party, it's this weekend, I guess," Troy shrugged if off, and I relaxed. It was just a birthday party, after all.

"Oh, that's cool," I said, since I didn't really know what else to say.

"Yeah," He said, and that was basically the end of the conversation.

**{(~)}-{(~)}-{(~)}**

Saturday night, I was sitting on my bed, writing up an English essay, because Troy was at Sharpay's birthday party when my phone vibrated. I grabbed it right away, hoping it was from him, but it was Taylor.

_From: Taylor_

_Omg im soooo bored :( chad asked me to go to that bday party with him and he just TOTALLY DITCHED ME!_

_To: Taylor_

_You went with him…? _

I texted back, surprised. If you were allowed to have dates, then why didn't Troy invite me?

_From: Taylor_

_Yeah, I thought it might be fun, but no one ik is her and it sux_

_To: Taylor_

_Oh, yeah I bet_

_From: Taylor_

_Why didn't you come? Troys here?_

_To: Taylor_

_He didn't invite me_

_From: Taylor_

_Rlly? Wat a dummy. _

_To: Taylor_

_Yeah…_

_From: Taylor_

_Omg_

_To: Taylor_

_What…?_

_From: Taylor_

_She is like… all over him, its disgusting!_

_To: Taylor_

_Sharpay? And Troy?_

_From: Taylor_

_Yeah… _

_To: Taylor_

_Oh… :/_

_From: Taylor_

_Don't worry, im sure hes so not into her_

_To: Taylor_

_Are you sure?_

_From: Taylor_

_Omg yes! Have you seen the way he looks at you…?_

_To: Taylor_

_Idk I mean… im not rlly his type, if you kno wat I mean?_

_From: Taylor_

_Oh and she is? Shes an air headed bimbo, with bleached blonde hair and fake boobs._

This, naturally, made me smile just a little, although I was a little hurt by the fact that Chad, of all people, thought to ask Taylor, but Troy didn't bother to ask me.

_To: Taylor_

_Ha, yea, this is true_

_From: Taylor_

_Of course it is._

Talking to Taylor cheered me up a little. Then, after he left the party, Troy called me and talked to me for a good hour and a half. By the time I went to sleep that night I was feeling pretty good, and I'd totally forgotten about Sharpay's party.

**{(~ )}-{(~)}-{(~)}**

Monday, everything went as it normally did, at least until lunch. I was walking past the jock table (as Taylor and I like to call it) when one of the guys, Zeke, yelled out to Chad, "Dude, did Troy really hook up with Sharpay Saturday night?" I froze in my steps. Zeke's back was to me, so he didn't see me, but Chad did, and I saw the 'oh crap' look on his face. Quickly I continued walking over to Taylor's table.

"Hey, what's wrong?" She asked. "You look like you just saw a ghost or something."

I quickly and quietly told her what had happened. Her mouth dropped into an O.

"Are you serious?" She whispered. "He did not!" I shrugged, trying to act as if it didn't matter, but I couldn't help the tears that pooled up in my eyes. I picked at my food, unable to eat it. Troy had a lunch detention today (from Ms. Darbus, for using his cell phone in class), so I at least didn't have to face him yet. I didn't know what I'd say when I did. I didn't even know what to think about the situation at all.

I somehow managed to make it through the rest of the day without crying in front of anyone or running into Troy. After school, I hurried at my locker, not waiting for him, and left the building as soon I as I could. To my dismay it was raining, but I decided to walk home anyways. There was no way I was getting in a car with Troy right now, I just couldn't do it.

I heard Troy's truck before I saw it, but I continued walking, refusing to turn around. He pulled up next to me.

"Gabbi, what are you doing?" He asked. "Get in the truck, you're going to get sick!"

I ignored him and continued to walk.

"Gabbi, come on," He said, driving along the road next to me. "Gabriella!"

"Leave me alone, Troy," I said, trying to keep my voice as emotionless as possible. I wouldn't let him see me cry. I would _not _let him see me cry.

He pulled the truck up to the curb and jumped out, grabbing my shoulders and forcing me to look at him. I blinked quickly. It was rain on my cheeks, that's what I told myself. I wasn't crying, it was rain.

"Gabbi," He said, his voice sounding so sad it broke my heart even more. "What's wrong?" He brushed the tear - err, raindrops, off my cheeks.

"Get away from me," I said, trying to pull away.

"Gabbi," He grabbed my wrists and refused to let go. "Tell me what's wrong," He said, softly.

"I heard that at the party on Saturday, you and Sharpay," My voice broke off and I started crying uncontrollably, unable to stop myself.

"What?" Troy said, sounding shocked. I'd probably heard enough to understand why I was mad. "Gabbi, you don't honestly believe that do you? I could never do that to you!" I wouldn't look at him. "Gabbi," He said, turning my head up towards him. "Gabbi, I love you," He whispered. I looked up at him, surprised. He leaned down and kissed me, right there in the middle of the sidewalk for everyone to see.

"I love you," He whispered, and then he kissed me again. "I don't know who would've said that about me and Sharpay, but it's not true, okay? I don't care about her, okay? I care about you, you're the only one I want, not her, don't ever doubt that," He breathed. I was still crying, but they had changed to happy tears. He loved me? He loved me.

"I love you, too," I whispered. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have listened to some stupid rumor." Troy leaned down and pecked my lips.

"It's okay, babe," He murmured. "It's okay." He pulled me close and we stood there in the rain, just holding each other.

**A/N: **

**Alright, so... thoughts? O.o Thanks so much for reading (once again), I appreciate it. As I said before, I'd like to know if you want me to continue with Taylor's POV once in awhile too, or should I just stick with Gabbi? Please review and give me your opinion! You guys are awesome!**

**xoxox**


	9. The Move

**A/N: O.m.g. I have not written in forever! I am so sorry, my dedicated readers. But, silly me, when I was cleaning my room I put my flash drive in a place where I wouldn't lose it. Then I forgot where that place was… So I basically lost all of my stories because I don't have them saved on my computer (which I am doing now because of my last issue). For my other FanFic, I have two chapters on here, and chapter five on my computer. I have no idea what happened to chapters three and four. O.o Anyways… Thank you all for the lovely reviews last time, including my first review that actually had criticism in it. I was happy about that, as weird as that sounds because I know how to explain things better so people don't get confused or upset. For those of you confused by why Gabbi forgave Troy so quickly, remember he is her first boyfriend. No other guy has ever paid attention to her at all. Remember how innocent you were before you got your heart broken the first time? Well, that's Gabbi. She doesn't know better. And besides, she trusts Troy. Even though they are still together and not fighting though, Gabbi's still going to be really sensitive about things with Sharpay - and can you blame her? I have no appropriate words to describe that girl. Lol. Anyways, after your very long wait and my very long author's note, I'm sure you all just want to get to the story, so here you go. Enjoy!**

**Chapter 9: The Move**

**Taylor POV:**

I couldn't believe it. I'd known that Sharpay was a skank, but I honestly didn't think that Troy was that bad of a guy. Sure, he was a jock, but he'd always been nice to me. He never joined in on all the ragging on other people. If I would've known what kind of person he was, there was no way I would've encouraged Gabbi. I'm pretty sure he broke her heart.

I was mad, and Chad could tell. He was giving me a ride home from school today because I had to baby-sit.

"It's kind of cold," Chad commented, trying to start a conversation.

"Not really." I had a jacket on, and I was actually pretty warm.

"For April it is," he clarified.

"I guess."

"What's wrong?"

I glanced at him. No way I was telling him.

"Nothing."

"Is this 'cause of that rumor about Troy and Sharpay?"

"No."

"Yes it is. C'mon, Taylor, you were there. You know nothing happened."

"All that I know is that you ditched me for your friends, and I sat there by myself all night," I said. Oh yeah, did I mention I was still mad about that?

"I didn't ditch you."

"Well, what would you call it then?"

"You walked away."

"So?"

"So isn't it kind of your own fault?"

I glared at him. I had no response to that. Honestly, I knew it was my fault. I was just mad that he hadn't followed me. He didn't even come over to me once after that. We were at my house now.

I opened the door, but Chad grabbed my hand before I could get out.

"What?" I snapped.

"I'm sorry," he said. This surprised me. He had just said that it was my fault, so why would he apologize? "Will you forgive me?" He gave me puppy dog eyes, and I couldn't resist a smile, which made him smile.

"Okay, fine," I rolled my eyes.

"That's better." He let go of my arm and I got out of the car. "I'll see you later," He called out as I shut the door. I waved at him before hurrying up the wet steps.

**Gabriella POV:**

Troy gave me a ride the rest of the way home - not that it mattered. I was already soaked. When I walked in, my mom was already here and she was on the phone. She raised her eyebrows at me, but couldn't ask any questions. I hurried to my room, changed, and wrapped a towel around my head. I called Taylor to tell her what happened, but she couldn't talk long because her siblings were fighting. Again. They do that a lot.

After I got off the phone, my mom came in.

"That was the realtor," She told me. "They've got a house all set up for us already." My heart sunk. I wondered if that meant we would have to leave sooner. "I was going to go down there this weekend and check it out if you want to come." I didn't, but I agreed to it. Me and my mom always went and checked out the house and the town at least a couple days before moving in if it was within a couple of hours away. "It'll be our last move," She promised me, once again. This time I wasn't stupid enough to believe it.

**{(~)}{(~)}{(~)}{(~)}**

Sharpay hated me even more now that her little plan hadn't worked to break us up. She glared at me whenever she saw me, and made a point to talk to Troy every time possible, whether I was there or not. If I was, she completely ignored me. It bothered me a lot, but I tried to ignore it. I didn't want Troy to think that I doubted him, because I didn't. I just hated her.

On Saturday, my mom and I left at about eight to go see our new house. It was nice. I would have my own bathroom and my room was bigger. But I didn't like it near as much. I knew I never would. There was nothing that could ever replace Taylor and Troy and Chad. I knew that. We went out to eat at a cute little café just a few blocks from the house. The food was delicious, but it reminded me too much of Troy's mom's café. It made me sad.

Our waitress was a girl around my age. She had bright red hair, and she smiled a lot. The name on her badge said Melanie. I decided I liked Melanie. I wondered if I'd go to school with her next year and if we'd be friends.

My mom knew that the day had made me sad. When we got home, she left me alone to go to my room. I called Taylor, and she invited me over. I quickly packed and told my mom where I was going and then headed over to Taylor's house.

**{(~)}{(~)}{(~)}{(~)}**

The weeks passed way too quickly. I spent more and more time with Troy, and Taylor and Chad spent more and more time with each other. Although they still wouldn't admit it to anyone, we all knew they liked each other. It was just a matter of time before they started going out. All too soon, school ended and I was packing up my things. The day before we left, Troy took me on a date. I wore a white summer dress that really brought out my tan, and put a white flower clip in my wavy hair. For makeup I put on a little mascara and a tiny bit of eyeliner and some lip gloss. Troy told me I looked beautiful.

First he took me to a fancy restaurant a couple towns away, and then he took me to a lake, where we sat on the dock, watching the sunset. It was absolutely gorgeous.

"That dress looks really good on you," he told me again, running a finger down my arm. I got goose bumps even though it wasn't even cold. He smiled.

"Thank you," I said, suddenly shy. I looked down and could feel the heat on my cheeks. He tilted my head back up and kissed me gently. But then he ran his hands through my hair and started kissing me more urgently. I didn't like where this was going.

"Troy," I broke away from my lips. He kissed my neck instead. He was pushing me back on the dock. "Troy, don't!" I shoved him away from me. He looked at me, genuine surprise on his face that changed to hurt.

"I - I'm sorry," he stuttered, looking down at his hands, ashamed.

"It's okay," I said immediately. I couldn't stay mad at him when he looked so cute. I kneeled next to him and put my arms around his shoulders, leaning my head against the crook of his neck. He was warm. He started rubbing my hand.

"I'm going to miss you," he said, turning to look at me. I saw a sparkle of a tear in his eye.

"I'll miss you too," I said, leaning down to give him a kiss. He gently pulled me around into his lap. This time when he pushed me back into a laying down position I didn't stop him.

**{(~)}{(~)}{(~)}{(~)}**

The next day, Taylor, Chad and Troy all came over before I left. They helped us pack the last of the boxes into the U-haul. I got several hugs from all of them. As we pulled out of the driveway, it was all I could do to keep myself from bursting into tears. I turned the radio up. Neither me or my mom spoke a word to the other the entire drive.

**A/N: Mostly a boring chapter, I know. There wasn't much else I could do though. I'm out of ideas until the end of the summer… The next chapter might be a little slow too, so sorry about that. Anyways, I'll try to update ASAP with the chapter after that and hopefully get the story going again. Sorry if I make mistakes or leave stuff out. It's a little hard since I haven't been writing it in so long. I'm trying my best though! Thanks for reading though! I definitely appreciate. You guys are all amazing. Now review! Haha, thank you. **


	10. How Sorry?

**A/N: Hello all. Glad to see that you have made it all the way to chapter ten. Thanks so much for reading my story. Any opinions on what you think should happen, I am open for ideas. Just review or send me a PM. I love the support of all you guys; you have no idea what it means to me. If you see any mistakes or anything, feel free to point them out. Without criticism - constructive criticism that is - you can't get better. Thanks again. I really appreciate it. **

_Previously: The next day, Taylor, Chad and Troy all came over before I left. They helped us pack the last of the boxes into the U-haul. I got several hugs from all of them. As we pulled out of the driveway, it was all I could do to keep myself from bursting into tears. I turned the radio up. Neither me or my mom spoke a word to the other the entire drive._

**Chapter 10: How Sorry?**

**Taylor POV:**

Chad asked me on a date. I couldn't believe it. After Gabbi left, we all hung out for a little bit at the park, but then Troy had to go help his mom with something at the café so it was just me and Chad. We were sitting on the swings.

"I bet I can go higher," he challenged.

"Oh, it's on," I replied, pumping my legs.

"Is that all you got?" he called over.

"What are you talking about? I'm totally beating you!"

Our playful banter went on like that for a few minutes until Chad jumped off his swing and landed in the grass gracefully.

"Beat that!" he teased. I laughed and jumped off my swing. Although I beat him in distance, I didn't beat him in grace. In other words, I fell right on my butt. He started laughing at me immediately.

"Hey, I won, so shut up!" I said, defending myself.

"Sorry," He said, still laughing but he offered me a hand to help me up. I took it and he pulled me up a little too hard and I almost fell on top of him. "Whoa, watch it," he said.

"You did it," I remarked.

"You liked it," he answered flirtatiously.

"You wish," I retorted. We began wandering slowly over to the picnic tables on the other side of the park.

"You know, most girls can't pull that off without looking like an idiot."

"Well, I'm not most girls," I replied sassily.

"I know."

I glanced at him and he smiled at me. I wondered if my smile gave him butterflies the way his did to me.

"I like you," he stated, looking forward again. I giggled a little.

"Okay?" I said, questioningly. This was actually the first time he'd ever said this. He said it without a question in his voice or a doubt in my mind, and it seemed more sincere than anything I've ever heard him say.

"Do you like me?" He tucked his hands in his pockets, a nervous habit of his that I've come to admire. Other than that I wouldn't have noticed he was anxious at all.

"Yes," I smiled. "I like you too."

"Good. Race you to the tables" he said, and just like that, the conversation was ended as he took off running to get their first.

"No fair!" I called, running after him. "You got a head start," I said when I met him at the table.

"It's not my fault you weren't paying attention," he smirked. I punched him on the arm lightly. "So there's this movie I've been meaning to go see," he began, hesitantly.

"Yeah?" I smiled.

"Well, I was wondering if you would like to go with me."

"Sure." My smile grew. "That sounds great."

**{[(~)]}{[(~)]}{[(~)]}{[(~)]}**

**Gabrielle POV:**

When I got Taylor's text saying that Chad had asked her out, I was happy for her, but I felt a little sad. I had just left this morning and they were already planning their lives without me. I sighed and began unpacking, wondering how long it would be before all of them started fading from my lives just as everyone else had.

**{[(~)]}{[(~)]}{[(~)]}{[(~)]}**

The summer passed slowly. I talked to Troy and Taylor a lot, even Chad texted me on occasion and there were a few visits, but not many. My mom was working, and she really seemed to like this job for some reason. She was happy more often then not, but maybe it had to do with the fact that almost every weekend she went out with that guy in the expensive car. A lot of days she came home late from work after dinner with a friend - as if I didn't know what was actually going on. I wondered when she'd just come out and tell me.

Taylor and Chad finally started going out in July, leaving even less time for me. She was happy, and I was happy for her, but I missed everyone, and it seemed like they were getting along just fine without me. Even Troy.

I spent most of my summer either in my room reading or at the library getting more books. I didn't really meet anyone, except I saw the neighbor a few times. She was the girl who was our waitress on our very first visit. She was always coming and going but we never met.

Sometimes my mom bugged me to go out and meet people but she didn't push me as hard as she usually does. She was pretty distant all summer. Finally August ended and it was time to start another new school.

The first days I didn't really talk to anyone. The waitress, Melanie, was really friendly. We talked a few times, and on my third day she invited me to sit with her at lunch. We sat with her friends - a guy named Jason who had really dark, wavy hair, and chocolate brown eyes, and twins Amber and Amanda. They were absolutely identical, except Amanda wore these nerdy little glasses that somehow worked perfectly on her.

I quickly learned that their appearances were where the similarities stop. Amber was outgoing and would talk to anyone. Amanda was shy and preferred her books over people. Amber didn't necessarily get bad grades, but they were terrible compared to Amanda's perfect GPA. Amber went through guys like Amanda went through books. I'm not saying she's a slut- she's definitely not. She just changes her mind a lot, and most guys can't handle her. On the other hand, Amanda has probably never even had her first kiss yet. Not that there's anything wrong with that. I just got my first kiss, after all.

Even though Amanda was really quiet, even she talked more than Jason. He was really closed off from the whole group it seemed. Everyone would be laughing about a joke, and he would sit there, solemnly eating his chicken nuggets. We were lucky if we got so much as a little smile out of him.

The group of friends was odd. None of them were alike and yet they all got along together perfectly. They accepted me into their group without a question, and for that I was grateful.

Sitting at lunch with them quickly became an every day thing. I quickly became accustomed to all their strange habits - Amanda reading while she ate, Amber randomly taking food off of other's plates, Melanie's foot tapping under the table while her fingers played a nonexistent piano. The only thing I didn't get accustomed to was Jason and his strange silence. Even after two weeks of school, I'd still only heard him say about two words, total.

On the second Wednesday, after school I got a text from Troy.

_From: Troy_

_Hey, wanna do something this weekend? My parents said I could drive up._

Naturally, my heart started beating faster and I smiled. I quickly replied.

_To: Troy_

_Of course! Call me later and well figure it out._

The next day, during lunch, Melanie was talking about how she was playing on Saturday at the café where she worked. She was ecstatic about it.

"You guys are gonna come, right?" She said.

"Of course!" Amber said enthusiastically. Amanda smiled in agreement.

"Definitely," Jason said. Word number three. And a smile as well. Quite an accomplishment for Melanie.

"What about you, Gab?" Melanie asked me. I felt so bad telling her no.

"Well, one of my friends was coming up, but I'm sure he won't mind coming with," I told her. "As long as that's okay with you!" I quickly added.

"Of course it is!" She threw her arms around me, knocking over her milk in the process. Did I mention she was a bit of a klutz? "Oopsies," She said as Amanda grabbed it and flipped it upright and Jason went to get the napkins. It was a routine they had down.

"Thanks, guys," Melanie said as she wiped up her mess. I felt a warm glow inside at being a part of this. It was nice.

**{[(~)]}{[(~)]}{[(~)]}{[(~)]}**

Saturday, I spent an hour getting ready. I wore a black tee shirt with a deep purple plaid vest over top, my favorite jeans, and my new, solid black converse - my old ones had, sadly, worn out over the summer and my mom had forced me to get new ones for the beginning of the school year.

"I wanted to spend time with you," Troy explained gently, brushing my cheek with his finger, looking down at me with sad eyes.

"You will be with me," I said, confused.

"Alone," he specified, putting extra emphasis on the word.

"Oh," I said. "Well, it'll only be for an hour or two, tops," I promised. "Then we can come back here and watch a movie or something," I suggested.

"Okay," he gave in. "If it's really that important to you."

"It is," I smiled, glad that he was willing to go. I didn't want to let Melanie down so soon after gaining her friendship.

When we got there, there was surprisingly very little room. Thankfully the twins and Jason had saved us seats and waved us over when we walked in. I squished onto a couch made for two in between Jason and Troy. The twins were sharing a seat. I had enough time to make quick introductions before the concert began.

Melanie was amazing. I hadn't realized how good she was. She switched between her guitar and keyboard, but she always sang. Jason offered to buy everyone something to drink, and I got a hot chocolate. Troy declined, saying he had his own money, but Amber jumped at the chance to spend some one else's money. It was one of her specialties. Amanda, like me, got a hot chocolate.

After the concert, we sat at the café talking for awhile. We all congratulated Melanie. Considering it was her first real, paying job, we were all pretty proud of her. After talking for awhile, and drinking two hot chocolates - Troy bought me the second one - I decided to leave. I could tell Troy was getting pretty antsy.

When we got him I told him to pick out a movie while I made the popcorn. While the popcorn was popping, I got out sodas for both of us and searched to see if there was any other junk food stashed anywhere. I took in a sharp breath when he slid his arms around me, but I relaxed and leaned into him immediately.

"Did you pick a movie?" I asked.

"Yep," He said, grabbing his soda and opening it. We talked while we waited for the popcorn to finish, and then went into the living room to watch the movie.

We cuddled on the couch and munched on our popcorn and soda throughout the movie. My mom got home from work when it was halfway through. She said hi to us, and then disappeared into the kitchen. When the movie was done, she came in and told me she was going out with a 'friend' tonight. I nodded having expected it. After asking me halfheartedly if we'd be okay for dinner by ourselves, she went to get ready.

While she was getting ready, I went into the kitchen to find something to cook. Troy followed. We ended up just throwing a frozen pizza in, and we found some chips hidden in the back of a cupboard.

"Oh, good, you found something," my mom said when she came back out of her room. She was wearing a knee length skirt and a long sleeve shirt. To my surprise she actually had a little makeup on, and she'd straightened her hair. "Oh, that's my ride," she said as someone pulled in the driveway. "I'll see you too later."

"Have fun," I told her as she walked out the door.

After we ate, Troy said he wanted to see my room. I thought it was odd, but I brought him to my room anyways. I had unpacked most of my things, but there were still a couple of boxes here and there.

"Do you like it here?" he asked.

"Yeah, I do, actually. More than I expected to," I admitted.

"Oh," he said, sounding disappointed. "Home isn't the same without you anymore. My mom says you need to come over sometime and visit." I smiled.

"I'll get right on that," I said.

"You better," he came forward and put his arms around me. "I want you to come visit too." Then he kissed me, but it was kind of forceful, and I didn't like it. He was pushing me gently, and I stumbled backwards a bit.

"Troy," I said, trying to push him back, but he just kept coming towards me. "Troy," I repeated, turning my head away from him. He'd never done this to me, except that very last day. He'd always been gentle and he never made me feel uncomfortable with what we did.

"What?" He whispered huskily as his breath tickled my ear. I shivered.

"Can you stop please?" I said, but I didn't sound like I meant it.

"Stop what?" he said, teasingly as he pulled me against him and began kissing my neck.

"Troy!" I pushed him back, more forcefully this time.

"What?"

"I said stop," I said, sounding like a scared little kid. I hated the shakiness in my voice.

"Okay," he said, stepping forward and hugging me tightly against him. "I'm sorry." He sounded sincere, but I was beginning to wonder how sorry he actually was.

**A/N: Uh-oh. Things are starting to look a little shaky for Troy and Gabbi. Review and let me know what you think about it. I hope you don't mind too much that I'm changing things up a bit from the movie. I think I've said this before but I have some really good ideas for this and I think it's going to be fun. (: Anyways I hoped you enjoyed it and thank you so much for taking your time to read this story. I love you all. (:**


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